Elementary school teachers resigning amid widespread parent harassment

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Elementary school teachers resigning amid widespread parent harassment

Published: 10 Oct. 2024, 14:45 Updated: 10 Oct. 2024, 15:36

Members of the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations, the Korean Federation of Teachers Unions and Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union call for a policy and systematic change to restore teachers’ authority in the classroom and urge the government to register the death of a young teacher from Seoi Elementary School as a line-of-duty death on Feb. 20 in front of the government complex in central Seoul. [YONHAP]

Over 120 homeroom teachers were replaced mid-semester at elementary schools nationwide last year.

Half of the 125 cases involved teachers voluntarily stepping down. The situation is attributed to some parents filing malicious complaints while principals, vice principals and other school administrators fail to resolve the issues.

According to data compiled by the Ministry of Education from public elementary schools nationwide and submitted to People Power Party Rep. Jeong Sung-kook, 65 teachers were replaced last year due to parental demands.

The number of homeroom teacher replacements due to parental requests steadily increased until last year, when the trend slowed. Analysts believe this reflects the social backlash against excessive interference in teachers' authority following the tragic death of a teacher at Seoi Elementary School, where a 24-year-old school teacher — reportedly under pressure from parents — took her own life last year.

However, cases of teachers voluntarily stepping down are on the rise. In 2020, there were 54 cases, increasing to 90 in 2021 and 124 last year — more than doubling in three years. Previously, voluntary teacher replacements were rare due to potential emotional harm to students and difficulty finding a replacement teacher.

The loss of motivation among teachers is cited as a key cause.

"External factors, rather than personal circumstances, account for the vast majority of cases,” said Kim Dong-seok, head of the Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations’ Teachers’ Authority Division. “Teachers step down when falsely accused of child abuse during school violence investigations or while providing guidance to students."

Kim explained that when teachers offer guidance, parents threaten to report them as "child abusers." If complaints are not addressed, they file reports with the education office or law enforcement, subjecting the teachers to harassment.

Parental requests for teacher replacements are widespread at elementary schools, much more so than at middle or high schools. Last year, 65 homeroom teachers were replaced at elementary schools due to parental requests, compared to only five at middle schools and nine at high schools. This suggests the burden on elementary school teachers is greater, as they serve as homeroom teachers rather than subject-specific instructors like those in middle and high schools.

"When I see children misbehaving, I want to correct them,” said an elementary school teacher from Gyeonggi. “But I just let it go, worrying that parents might hold it against me,"

"I think the roles of principals and vice principals in protecting teacher rights need to be more clearly defined,” said a teacher from South Gyeongsang. “Currently, when a parent files an unreasonable complaint, administrators only pass it on, telling teachers to 'just endure it.'"

According to teachers’ unions, some school administrators, including principals, replace homeroom teachers arbitrarily to avoid conflicts with parents.

BY KIM CHUL-WOONG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]