Page 8 - 인성여고 2024 영자신문

vol.19 December 2024

The Crisis of Teacher

Authority: A Violent Episode

at Jeonju Elementary School

10203 Kim Da-in
<Video of elementary student slapping vice principal in Jeonju sparks outrage>

This article is about an incident at an elementary school in Jeonju. A third-grade
student repeatedly hit the vice principal, used abusive language, bit him, and
swung his backpack violently. The vice principal did not respond to the student’s
actions but tried to stop him. However, the student eventually left the school
without permission.

Later, the student’s mother came to the school and attacked the homeroom
teacher. This student had caused problems at his previous school, which led
to his transfer, but he continued to behave disruptively at the new school. The
homeroom teacher reported the student’s mother to the police, and the school
reported the incident to the Office of Education.
The situation where a student hit the vice principal and even the parent came to
school and attacked the homeroom teacher is truly hard to understand. Teachers
have the responsibility to teach and guide students in the right direction, but the
lack of respect for teachers in society seems to weaken their
rights. This incident shows that it’s not just a case of a student’s misbehavior,
but that teachers are having great difficulties guiding students. Instead of being
corrected for his wrong actions, the student became even more violent under the
protection of his parent, which clearly shows how a teacher’s authority is being
threatened.

I realize that teachers today need not only the ability to teach but also strong
mental resilience and legal protection to handle situations like this properly. Legal
and institutional measures to protect teachers' rights must be strengthened.
Teachers should be able to fulfill their duties without fear, and for this to happen,
society must restore respect for teachers' authority. Otherwise, even for people
like me who dream of becoming teachers, school could become a place of fear.
Thinking about these issues, I feel that achieving my dream of becoming a
teacher requires not just educational knowledge but also societal changes that
protect teachers' rights and make schools safe.

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