By Wonsuh Song
In most universities, the relationship revolves around students and professors. Parents rarely appear in the classroom or the advising process. Yet my university, and particularly my department, takes a different approach. We see not only students but also parents as part of the educational journey, offering careful and attentive guidance. As part of this, we hold regular parent meetings. Today, I had the chance to meet many parents directly.
What struck me was how similar their questions were. “Can my child really become a teacher?” “Is my child doing well?” To each, I explained the student’s strengths, the progress they had made, and how they could continue to grow. Parents responded warmly, relieved not only by reassurance but also by specific, individualized reflections about their children.
One particularly memorable episode involved a father who knew the teaching profession remarkably well. I asked if he himself was a teacher, and as it turned out, he was a retired middle school social studies teacher from Chiba Prefecture. Though he had come to consult me about his child, I reversed the roles and asked him instead: “What kind of teachers are needed in the field today?” His words, drawn from long experience in the field, were invaluable. I told him I hoped he would someday share them directly with my students, which delighted him. At that moment, the consultation became more than an evaluation—it became a cross-generational dialogue about education itself.
Such meetings between professors and parents are rare in Japan. Yet I find this system profoundly valuable. Parents can entrust their children to the university with peace of mind, and professors can understand students more deeply. Education, after all, is not the task of students alone but a collective journey shared by everyone involved. Today, though the questions were similar, each conversation carried its own emotion. And through those conversations, I felt once again the pride and joy of being an educator.
Wonsuh Song (Ph.D.)
Full-time Lecturer, Shumei University / NKNGO Forum Representative
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