"Not Even Expecting Gratitude, Just Hoping for No Complaints": Teachers' Sad Portrait on the Eve of Teacher's Day

Beyond Infringement of Teacher Authority, Teachers Lament the ‘Loss of the Classroom’

“Even Guiding Students Is Frightening”—Intimidated by Complaints and Legal Threats

Field Trips Feel Overwhelming: “I Don’t Want to Risk My Own Life”

Teacher A in Gangwon Province was diagnosed with a four-week injury last year after being kicked by a third-grade elementary school student who was protesting classroom guidance. However, when the School Authority Protection Committee convened, the student's parent instead threatened to report Teacher A for child abuse. As a result, after the incident, the teacher became physically and emotionally exhausted and is now on medical leave this year. In Incheon, Teacher B took and shared photos of classroom activities for parents who were curious about their children's school experience. However, some parents responded with questions such as, "Why does my child look unhappy?" and "Why is my child standing alone?" leaving Teacher B in a difficult situation.

Teacher's Day. The Asia Business Daily DB

The No.1 Reason Teachers Leave: Reckless Child Abuse Accusations and Excessive Parent Complaints

On May 14, the day before Teacher's Day, teachers in the field expressed that rather than expecting words of gratitude, they simply hoped that their educational activities would at least be fully protected. They said that even legitimate guidance is often labeled as child abuse and that the excessive number of complaints from parents is leading not just to the collapse, but to the loss of the teaching profession itself.

This reality in classrooms was also clearly revealed in surveys. According to a survey conducted by the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations from April 27 to May 5, targeting 8,900 teachers from kindergartens, elementary, middle, high schools, and universities nationwide, nearly half (49.2%) of respondents said their professional pride had "decreased" over the past one to two years. Only 12.8% said their pride had "increased."

The overwhelming majority of teachers (67.9%) said they felt powerless when they "were not trusted by students or parents and their teaching authority was undermined." The most common reason teachers cited for leaving the profession was "exposure to reckless child abuse accusations and excessive parent complaints (28.9%)," which was higher than "low salary (28.1%)." Analysts say that the current reality, where teachers have to worry about being sued even while trying to stop routine classroom disruptions or verbal abuse, is turning teaching into an undesirable career.

If an Accident Happens During Educational Activities, It's the Teacher's Responsibility..."Why Should Teachers Bear All the Risk?"

Recently, there has been a growing reluctance among teachers to supervise field trips, which is closely related to the structure that holds individual teachers solely responsible for any accidents. Teacher C, for the first time in over ten years of teaching, refused to supervise a field trip this year. This is unusual in Daegu, where the rate of field trip participation is high. Teacher C recalled a nerve-wracking experience during a theme park field trip when a student with epilepsy left their medication on the bus. The teacher had to run around the theme park for over an hour, searching for the student with the medication in hand. Having previously witnessed a colleague take full responsibility after a fourth-grade student nearly lost their sight in an accident caused by unbuckling a seatbelt during a field trip, Teacher C's anxiety turned to fear. The teacher said, "After the incident in Sokcho, where a student died in a bus reversing accident and the supervising teacher was found guilty, I now feel even more strongly that I don't want to risk my family and my life for a field trip." The teacher also explained to students, "I love you all, but memories built on someone else's sacrifice are not educational."

Teacher D, who used to accompany students on field trips six to seven times a year, now only takes students to places within walking distance. Although each office of education provides a 200- to 300-page field trip manual, it is practically impossible to follow all the guidelines, so this was the only alternative. The teacher said, "It's essentially impossible to check everything, such as the bus driver's sobriety or the condition of the tires."

The More Voluminous the Manual, the More Responsibility Falls on Teachers...Education Offices Must Build Trust by Taking Responsibility

Experts point out that the structure in which all responsibility for incidents at school is still placed solely on individual teachers remains unchanged. Lee Deok-nan, head of the Education and Culture Team at the National Assembly Research Service, said, "If teachers follow core safety rules, the Ministry of Education or the Office of Education must give teachers the trust that they will take responsibility for any other issues that arise."

Teacher organizations are repeatedly calling for measures to protect teachers. On the morning of May 14, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union held a press conference in front of the Sarangchae at the Blue House, demanding: measures to prevent the abuse of child abuse accusations, a strengthened response system for malicious parent complaints, reduction of administrative workload for teachers, and improvements to the responsibility system for school safety accidents. A representative of the union stated, "Creating a school environment where teachers can teach students without fear is the only real solution for Teacher's Day."

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