Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Special Teacher Bae Jae-hee's Lengthy Criticism
"Are You a More Noble Person Than Teacher Sullivan?"
Webtoon artist Joo Ho-min has sparked controversy after reporting the special education teacher responsible for his elementary school son for child abuse. In response, a current special education teacher strongly criticized Joo, urging him to "apologize even today."
"At my limit now... If you ruin 'Sullivan' teacher, I'll resign too"
On the 30th, special education teacher Bae Jae-hee, affiliated with the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, posted a lengthy message titled "Joo Ho-min and Me" on her social media.
Teacher Bae said, "Is there not a single person around you who speaks unpleasant or straightforward truths? Without that, it wouldn't have come to this," and harshly criticized, "You and your spouse, can you honestly place your hands on your hearts and claim to be more noble individuals than that 'Sullivan' teacher?"
Joanna Mansfield Sullivan Macy, famously known as 'Teacher Sullivan,' was Helen Adams Keller's instructor and is regarded as a true exemplar of an educator. Fellow teachers and other parents said the special education teacher sued by Joo was someone worthy of respect to the extent that she reminded them of Helen Keller's Sullivan.
Teacher Bae revealed that she is also a member of a family with disabilities and pointed out, "No matter how much I think about it, (Joo) crossed the line." She questioned, "Have you ever imagined a student with intellectual disabilities who defecated on the bus, and the teacher quickly picking it up with her hands, worried that the child might be teased? Have you ever secretly wiped and concealed a student with autism who masturbated and ejaculated, fearing a female student might see?"
She added, "I have never once thought such things were disgusting or dirty. Even a humble special education teacher like me lives with that level of dedication engraved in my soul."
Teacher Bae said, "Apologize to that special education teacher even today," and added, "I have lived as a teacher and received blessings and praise beyond reason, but I have never heard the word 'Sullivan.' You touched something you shouldn't have?the human 'dignity.'"
She also mentioned the harsh conditions special education teachers face and said, "Stress and physical strength have reached their limits anyway. If you ultimately ruin 'Teacher Sullivan' as you planned, I will resign too," expressing, "I would rather break my chalk myself than live in fear of lawsuits."
In conclusion, she emphasized, "Apologize quickly. What you are doing now is bullying people like a delinquent, not a normal complaint. Is this really a matter for a lawsuit? What do you and your spouse gain by destroying one person like this?"
Joo Ho-min: "Hard to see it as simple discipline... Clearly a problem"
On the 29th, teachers gathered from all over the country attended a rally calling for the restoration of teachers' authority held in Jongno-gu, Seoul, waving placards. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Earlier, it was revealed that last September, Joo reported an elementary school special education teacher who taught his son with autism spectrum disorder to the police on charges of child abuse.
Joo's son was separated into a special education class after exposing part of his body in front of female students during an inclusive class. It was discovered through a recorder left on while going to school that the special education teacher in charge made inappropriate remarks.
The teacher has been suspended from duty by the education office and has been on trial since December last year. Fellow teachers and parents have submitted petitions to the court requesting leniency so that the teacher can return to the classroom.
Upon hearing this, Joo stated in a statement on the 26th that the teacher's behavior was "hard to see as simple discipline" and that he "clearly thinks there is a problematic aspect."
Meanwhile, at a rally held near the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 29th, a teacher who has worked at a special school in Jeonnam for nine years testified about the situation special education teachers face, saying, "There are people for whom being hit is not special."
The teacher said, "A student with a disability hit the teacher recklessly just because they didn't want to attend class, but the teacher only tried to calm the student down. The teacher could not approach and actively help because they could not touch the student carelessly," and argued, "If Teacher Sullivan were in today's South Korea, she would have been prosecuted for child abuse, and the great figure Helen Keller would not exist in this world."
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