Korean Job Discussion Forums

[garykasparov]

Ensuring Respect for Teachers

There were 168 instances of physical assaults and verbal threats committed by parents against teachers that were reported to the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations last year. That's more than double the 78 cases reported in 2002. At one elementary school in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province last year, parents grabbed a teacher by the hair and shook her around in front of her students. One assemblyman representing a district in Seoul assaulted the principal of his son's school and caused him to faint. The assemblyman was demanding that his son, who quit school, be accepted back. One female teacher at a junior high school in Incheon tried to block a student from leaving class early. She ended up being assaulted by the student.
Many such cases of assault stem from misunderstandings. Students may take on a very self-centered attitude when telling their parents about the way they were treated at school. The parents end up assaulting teachers as they question the way their children claimed they had been treated. Most of these unfortunate incidents could be prevented if channels of communication between parents and teachers were created through programs such as a school management committee. Education is achieved through praise and scolding. Painful scolding from teachers is part of education. If teachers end up getting assaulted because they sternly discipline their students, then they will have no choice but to take a lukewarm approach to education. If that happens, then not only the authority of teachers, but the entire system of education breaks down.

The authority of teachers isn't established by laws and systems. If teachers maintain their dignity by doing their best in researching and improving the way they teach, and establish a culture of respect for academics, then we will see a sharp decrease in assaults. Among Korea's 400,000 teachers, there are some who use abusive language against their students and punch or whip them on impulse. Teachers must accept the fact that the rights of teachers will be protected only if measures are put in place enabling such abusive teachers to be weeded out.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200804/200804100020.html

[Sody]

This thread makes me really sad. People who are hurt, hurt others easily and are easily hurt themselves. I swear to god it's like a never ending cycle here in the Korean education system. I wish there was at least a possible way to end all this, but until they are willing to change their way of thinking then it's not likely possible. A whole new paradigm is needed.

[trachys]

[Kimchieluver]

In Korea, the public school must advance the students no matter what their marks are. To add insult to injury, many parents send their children to hagkwons where they learn much more than is required by the public school. So when a child disrespects a teacher, it is usually because there is no recourse for the teacher. Sure they can lower their grades or punish them, but it is all for not when they take the university entrance exam. I have seen students with an average of 20% in all subjects go on to high school. I have students sleep during my class because they are gifted and studied all night at a hagkwan. There is no standardization here and that is a big reason Korean public school teachers are losing respect.