In Front of the Homeroom Teacher: "Hey XX, What Are You Saying?", "So What"... Crisis of Teacher Authority

Current Teacher Reveals Cases of Teacher Rights Violations on 'Blind'
Over 1,200 Cases of Teacher Rights Violations in Last Semester
About 12% Involve Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence

A current high school teacher has shocked many by confessing a case of infringement on teachers' authority that they personally experienced. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] There is growing outrage as a current teacher shared experiences of being verbally abused by students during class and having their phone confiscated, highlighting serious concerns about the violation of teachers' authority.

A post by a high school teacher who claimed to have been insulted by students was recently uploaded on the anonymous workplace internet community 'Blind.' Blind requires users to verify their work email to join.

Teacher A stated, "Considering that I am much younger, female, and short, I wrote this expecting to be disrespected by students," and claimed that students frequently used profanity and spoke informally to her.

She recounted, "During class presentations, a student said, 'Hey XX, what are you saying?'" and added, "A student was using their phone during class, so I tried to take it away. According to school rules, phones are collected during class, but that student refused to hand it over. I told them I would return it during break time, but the student resisted, grabbed my phone, and threw it."

She continued, "Whenever I say something, students respond with 'So what?' or if I try to scold them, they make a fuss saying they will record a video," adding, "When my voice gets louder while scolding, they say things like 'Shut up, why are you yelling?'"

She also expressed frustration, "While giving instructions, it seemed like a student didn’t hear me. They said to their seatmate right in front of me, 'What did the homeroom teacher just say?'" and said, "Shouldn't they ask me directly or inquire when I’m not around?"

◆Eight out of ten on-site teachers feel the issue of teacher authority violations is 'serious'

This is not the first time teacher authority violations have sparked controversy. According to data on teacher authority violations submitted by the Ministry of Education to Assemblywoman Kwon In-sook of the Democratic Party, there were 2,454 and 2,662 reported cases in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic limiting face-to-face classes, the number dropped to 1,197 last year but rose again to 1,215 in the first semester of this year.

Notably, in the first semester of this year, cases of 'sexual harassment and sexual violence' accounted for 12.4% (125 cases) of the total, exceeding 10%. Sexual harassment and assault are particularly serious because they impose significant and long-lasting mental burdens on teachers compared to other types of violations.

About 12% of all reported cases of violations of teachers' rights in the first semester of this year were related to sexual harassment and sexual violence. / Photo by Yonhap News

Teachers on the ground also perceive the level of teacher authority violations as very serious.

According to an online survey conducted by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) in May targeting teachers nationwide, 8 out of 10 respondents said the current level of teacher authority violations is 'serious.'

Specific examples of violations include excessive complaints from parents (56.5%), students disrupting classes (55.5%), abuse of power by vice principals and principals (47.7%), and defamation, insults, and verbal abuse (41.4%).

◆"Firm commitment from education authorities is necessary"

Given the situation, netizens also voiced concerns about teacher authority violations. They expressed outrage with comments such as, "I truly feel that teaching is an extreme profession. This is quite shocking," "This is unbelievable. I've never heard of anything like this," and "It seems like teachers have rights but no responsibilities. Kids are just allowed to do whatever they want, so there’s no control."

Political circles also emphasized the need to establish measures to prevent teacher authority violations.

Assemblywoman Kwon said, "Although there is a manual for responding to teacher authority violations, it is being undermined by teachers’ conservative views on gender and a school culture that tolerates sexual harassment and discrimination," adding, "Since it is difficult to resolve these issues solely within the school community, a firm commitment from education authorities to address gender-based harassment is necessary."