The War Between Korean Teachers and Parents
Via. The New York Times
Introduction
In July of 2023, an elementary school teacher in her twenties ended up taking her life after suffering numerous complaints from one of her student’s parents. As heartbreaking as the news was, the teacher was not alone, as there is a rapidly growing sentiment of outrage and dissatisfaction among the teachers of South Korea.
A recent study conducted by the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations revealed that less than one-fourth of all 4,704 teachers surveyed felt optimistic about their work environment. This negative attitude of teachers regarding their jobs has been growing immenselyrecently, with teachers all across the nation voicing their concerns, through both online forums and protests. There are various reasons as to why such sentiments have increased drastically within the past few years, with the most prevalent reason being the strained relationship between Korean teachers and their students’ parents.
Teachers vs. Parents
South Korean parents are notorious for being overly obsessed with their children’s education. With South Korea ranking ninth in education rate among OECD countries, it is evident that the nation places great emphasis on the importance of education, and many parents would give up almost anything to get their children high-quality schooling, fit for only the most prestigious universities in the country, such as SKY. In fact, statistics show that in 2022, Korean parents spent a total of 20 billion dollars (26 billion won) on their child’s private tutoring sessions, or “hagwons”. The academic pressure that Korean students receive from their parents is so great that some even become severely depressed. Thus, it is somewhat ironic that in an environment where formal education is so heavily emphasized, the school teachers who are the backbone of the education system have been mistreated by both students and parents alike.
Within the past few years, hundreds of Korean teachers have been falsely reported by their students’ parents for supposed “child abuse,” and have had to undergo thorough investigations which greatly impacted their careers. The reasons for these “child abuse” reports ranged anywhere from telling students to present in front of the class to having students sit up straight or clean their desks. Teachers have been reported for “emotionally abusing” their students, simply for telling them off when they disrupted the lesson. Such behaviours expressed by the teachers were not abusive in the slightest and should have been expected in a classroom setting, yet many parents filed the report anyway, only believing the accounts of their children.
Teachers have also been wrongfully reported for other reasons; for example, one teacher claimed to have received a threatening message from one student’s mother because the homework she had handed out in class was too difficult for the student to solve, and that in the process of helping the student, the student’s parents had gotten into an argument. Thus, the mother accused the teacher of “destroying the household”.
Countless other testimonials show that teachers have been blamed for their students’ bad behaviors, such as coming home late, watching adult videos, fighting other students, and more.
In addition, teachers have also reported receiving ridiculous requests from parents, such as the request to “stop using an iPhone” as their student had been begging his parents for one, or the request to “treat their child like a king” since he had “the royals’ blood flowing in him.” Although such requests were clearly unprofessional and not within the teachers’ obligation, the teachers had no choice but to abide by the parents’ wishes, if they did not want to risk getting sued. Furthermore, several teachers claimed that they had been plagued by parents’ phone calls and messages, even outside of school hours.
Over the years, such scornful parents have earned the title of “명퇴 도움이" or “quitting-helpers” from the teachers themselves, as many teachers end up quitting after encountering one of them. Dealing with such parents can be extremely difficult, especially for newer and less experienced teachers. During confrontations with such parents, teachers have confessed to having been sworn at and called degrading names such as “tax-eating bugs,” having their teaching degrees and experience scrutinized, and even being asked deeply inappropriate and personal questions regarding their marriage and child-bearing status. The worst instances of these confrontations included battery, sexual harassment, and even death threats.
The Impact
For the teachers, the repercussions of being accused of “child abuse” by a parent can be crushing. While only 1.5% of all reported cases of “child abuse” get taken to court, the entire process of proving themselves innocent is very time-consuming and stressful. It may even take up to a year. During this time, teachers cannot interact with their students at all and are often forced to take leave from their jobs. It is not rare for teachers to quit during this time period, forcing the school to hire a new teacher to take over the class. Furthermore, the teacher’s reputation is permanently stained, and it becomes much more difficult for them to get hired for another teaching position, even if they are proven innocent.
Although some optimists may believe that authority figures within the schools can provide security, many teachers claim that this is not the case; even the school principal may choose to ignore the parents, thereby forcing the homeroom teachers to deal with the situation all on their own.
Generational Trauma
Surprisingly, the number of cases in which teachers have been reported by their students’ parents has more than doubled within the past decade, rising from 235 in 2012 to 520 in 2022. There are several reasons why the parents of today’s generation seem to be especially sensitive regarding their children’s education, and one factor may be the grudges that they hold against the teachers from their past.
Back in the ‘90s, having mostly recovered from the destruction of the Korean War, Korea was undergoing a period of rapid economic and social development. In those days, classrooms were often filled with up to eighty students, and teachers needed a way to keep the rowdy kids in check. Unfortunately, the need for such disciplinary measures led to the normalization of corporeal punishments in schools, and many students found themselves being physically and verbally abused by their homeroom teachers, who had “unlimited authority” over their students.
Such memories still live in the minds of the older generation, to the point where the word “school” has become irreversibly associated with the image of free-reigning teachers and the blatant abuse of students.
Over the years, support for corporeal punishment within Korea has dwindled, along with the number of schools that practice it. However, it is entirely possible that the resentment and trauma many parents still hold for their old teachers may be stopping them from trusting the teachers of today. Without trust, there is no hope for a positive relationship to form between the two groups. But the worst part is that the students will always suffer the most.
Students Suffer the Most
The greatest problem with teachers getting falsely accused of “child abuse” is that in most cases, teachers are trying to prevent a student from harming his or her classmates. School violence and bullying are extremely prevalent in Korean schools, and with their competitive and high-pressure environments, some cases even lead to the bullied student committing suicide.
When a teacher sees a student is a potential threat to his or her classmates, they have the duty to keep the classroom environment safe by restraining the student through whatever means necessary. Any act of defense the teacher does to prevent the student from harming others or themselves should not be counted as “child abuse”.
However, in the wake of recent cases in which teachers have been reported for stopping these problematic students, many teachers are now choosing to take a completely passive approach, as they are too afraid of getting sued or reported for school violence. As one teacher confessed on an online forum, it is “too much of a risk” to try and do the right thing, stating that “even if I try to discipline the students properly… I might end up getting sued for violating student rights and fired. It is only my own life that will become awful.” Such fears are deterring teachers from stopping the abusive behaviour of school bullies and causing many other students to suffer as a result.
The Aftermath
The situation has worsened to the point where as many as 87% of all teachers have thought about quitting their jobs at least once within the past year according to a survey conducted by SBS News in May 2023. The presence of online teacher communities is growing rapidly, with many of them sharing pessimistic views on their jobs as well as their lack of motivation to stay in the profession.
With birth rates on the decline, the fact is that one day, the role of the teacher may become entirely nonexistent. When that day comes, Korean parents will lament the loss of the nation’s educators who have dedicated themselves to furthering their students’ academic pursuits: the very teachers whom they had driven out.