Jeonnam Teachers' Union "Colleague Teachers Repeatedly Make Unfair Demands by Abusing Their Position"
A teacher at an elementary school in Jeonnam was accused of making unfair demands to a colleague who was the homeroom teacher of their child.
According to the Jeonnam Teachers' Union and Yonhap News on the 24th, in April of this year, Teacher A at an elementary school in Jeonnam demanded 'documented reports' from Teacher B, a colleague and the homeroom teacher of A's child.
At the time, A's child was hit on the back of the hand by another student in the classroom because they disliked vegetables. Teacher B instructed the offending student to apologize, but Teacher A was not satisfied with this. Subsequently, Teacher A demanded reports on parent contact and the implementation status.
The union claims that Teacher B initially complied with Teacher A's demands but suffered mental pressure as these demands were repeated.
Currently, Teacher B has reported the matter to the Teacher Rights Protection Committee, taken sick leave, and is not attending school.
The Jeonnam Teachers' Union stated, "Teacher A abused their position as both a parent and a fellow teacher by repeatedly making unfair demands," and urged "active separation of the perpetrator and the victim." They also called on the school principal to take responsible measures to prevent recurrence.
The principal told Yonhap News, "I have consistently listened to both teachers and tried to resolve the issue through dialogue to maintain a good relationship," adding, "I attempted to solve the problem through various methods, but the gap was difficult to narrow due to significant differences in their positions."
At the large athletic field of Seoul National University of Education in Seocho-gu, Seoul, participants are paying tribute to the deceased while waiting for their turn to lay flowers at the memorial event hosted by the Elementary School Teachers' Union commemorating the first anniversary of the death of a teacher from Seoi Elementary School. July 20, 2024. Photo by Yonhap News
Meanwhile, a survey revealed that 7 out of 10 teachers have experienced verbal, physical, or sexual violence, and 4 out of 10 have received psychological counseling or psychiatric treatment in the past year.
The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (Korean Teachers Union) and Green Hospital announced the results of a mental health survey related to teachers' duties on the 4th, marking the first anniversary of the nationwide memorial day for Seo Yi Elementary School teachers, the ‘September 4 Public Education Stop Day’.
At that time, the Korean Teachers Union analyzed that teachers' job stress, measured using a Korean-style job stress assessment tool, had actually increased compared to last year, and that the school complaint management system was still not functioning properly.
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