Classrooms Shaken by Malicious Complaints... A Day in the Life of a Teacher Falling Apart

Parents' Verbal Abuse and Complaints Disrupt Classrooms
Pushback: "My Child Doesn't Behave Like That at Home" Shakes Teachers' Judgment
Student Insults and Snowball Accidents Lead to Lawsuits
Unions and Associations: "Protecting Teachers' Rights Must Go Beyond Words"
Metropolitan Office of Education: "Superintendent Will File Complaints... Will Respond Strictly"

"A single complaint can shake up an entire teacher's daily life."

Teachers in Gwangju have expressed that they are struggling greatly in their educational activities due to malicious complaints and unreasonable demands. On September 17, an elementary school teacher told our reporters, "Complaints don't come into the school every day, but when they do, they disrupt my entire routine," adding, "Sometimes I spend more time responding to complaints than teaching classes."

One female teacher said, "Some parents say things like, 'You wouldn't understand because you haven't had children,' and many do not trust the teacher's judgment, insisting, 'My child doesn't behave like that at home.' Even though a child's problematic behavior doesn't develop overnight, if the guardian denies it, education becomes difficult." Another elementary school teacher commented, "I am also a parent, but the classroom environment can be very different from home. When parents are overly protective of their child, it can disrupt the entire class and affect other students."

Current teachers especially complain that harsh words and actions from parents leave deep wounds. A teacher who has worked at an elementary school for three years said, "There are quite a few cases where parents curse at me on the phone or make insulting remarks in public. When this happens, teaching becomes a secondary concern, and it is so stressful that I sometimes need psychological counseling."

Some teachers say, "No matter which school you call in Gwangju, you can easily hear about a few cases of teachers' rights being violated." In classrooms, students' rude behavior and repeated disruptions are ongoing, and when teachers try to address this, many parents call to complain, insisting, "You are singling out my child."

There have been actual cases where a student openly cursed at a teacher in class, and when the teacher tried to intervene, the parent pushed back and the situation escalated into a legal dispute. The Teachers' Rights Protection Committee deemed the student's actions as an infringement on educational activities and ordered special education and a class change. However, the parent did not accept this, went through various procedures, and also filed a lawsuit against the teacher. Later, investigative authorities concluded that the teacher was not at fault.

The teacher is preparing the class for the students in the classroom. The photo is unrelated to the article. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

There have also been cases that led to civil lawsuits. At an elementary school in Gwangju, during a snowball fight in winter, a student was hit in the eye with a snowball and received treatment at the nurse's office. Later, an ophthalmologist suspected the student had floaters. The parent subsequently filed a damages lawsuit worth 70 million won against the Office of Education, the parent of the student who threw the snowball, and the homeroom teacher. Teacher organizations have voiced concerns, saying, "Even in accidental incidents that occur during educational activities, teachers are immediately exposed to the risk of legal liability."

Amid these circumstances, the Gwangju branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union announced that since September 12, it has been conducting a petition campaign calling for a strong response to malicious complaints, with more than 1,600 elementary and secondary school teachers participating. The union stated, "The Office of Education only sends out messages to the media, but there are no effective measures in the actual school field. Teachers are self-censoring and shrinking their educational activities in the face of malicious complaints." The union also criticized, "The Office of Education and Superintendent Lee Jeongseon should not act like a head of household who ignores issues at home but only boasts outside."

Previously, the Gwangju Teachers' Association pointed out, "While students and parents can file objections to the decisions of the Teachers' Rights Protection Committee, there is no such procedure for teachers. Even a single malicious complaint should be recognized as an infringement on educational activities, and the superintendent should be able to file a preemptive complaint." The association also mentioned a case where a parent's complaint continued for nearly a year at an elementary school, noting, "The teacher had to handle it alone."

The teachers' union also stated, "We welcome the Office of Education's principled stance, but if there is no follow-up action, it will face criticism for only paying lip service to protecting teachers' rights." Referring to two recent cases of teachers' rights violations, the union urged, "Teachers who have been harassed must be given real protection."

Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education

The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union plans to meet directly with officials from the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education on September 26, together with affected teachers, to demand countermeasures. At the meeting, they intend to urge the Office of Education to send instructions to all schools stating that it will become the direct complainant in cases of verbal abuse, assault, or disparagement against staff. The union reiterated, "Protecting teachers is the first step to guaranteeing students' right to learn," and repeatedly called for active measures from the Office of Education.

On September 10, the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education announced, "If there is a request from the affected teacher and the conditions are met, we will file a complaint in the superintendent's name against malicious or unusual complaints." Superintendent Lee Jeongseon said, "We will respond swiftly and strictly to malicious and repeated infringements on educational activities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.