A controversy has arisen at M Elementary School in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, after a homeroom teacher reported a specific parent to the authorities and then ended up becoming the homeroom teacher for that parent's child.
A student who directly appealed to the Jeonju City Hall about the teacher who reported their mother and then became their homeroom teacher wrote the following in the school diary dated September 16:
"Today during class, the teacher was taking graduation photos in the classroom, and... only those who didn't take the graduation photo were told to solve the math unit test. It's unfair because others also need to solve it, but only I was told to do it because I didn't take the photo..."
The student further wrote, "During the 6th period, while studying English, the contents of a KakaoTalk message from a person named 'OOO' asking 'How much is the lawsuit cost?' appeared on the electronic blackboard, and the homeroom teacher, who was in front of my desk (the message was exposed on the smart blackboard), did not check their own message and hastily erased it after realizing that the message was exposed."
The student's mother expressed concerns, stating, "My child, who is in the 6th grade, is still undergoing psychological therapy. It is frightening for my child to meet the teacher who reported me as the homeroom teacher every day in the classroom," and appealed, "Even if the homeroom teacher and I have to undergo investigations a hundred times, I wish my child could comfortably receive classroom lessons and graduate without any worries."
Furthermore, the mother added, "I hope for the implementation of a non-homeroom system that does not affect the position and status of the homeroom teacher. If this system is implemented, my child and the homeroom teacher can be separated, and my child may not have to leave early from school due to stomachaches."
The mother, who is a university professor, faced public criticism as an "evil parent" because she requested corrections to the student's records and was judged based on the number of times she called the school. However, upon investigation by the Jeonbuk Education Newspaper, it was found that instead of 61 outgoing calls, the mother made 25 calls to the school in 2024 to inquire about her child's situation. Despite the mother's calls being related to sending official letters for her child's treatment, the school repeatedly responded with "busy" during the calls and later demanded, "File a complaint."
Regarding the phone conversations related to the student's records, the mother clarified that she had never requested corrections or modifications. She stated that the conversations mainly revolved around the homeroom teacher explaining the evaluation criteria for the student's records in 2023, but she was unfairly labeled as a parent demanding corrections to the records. This illustrates how even a simple act of calling the school can be distorted and maliciously interpreted, revealing the threats faced by the educational community.
Following this incident, the parent faced disciplinary actions at the university where she worked due to pressure from mourning protests led by the teachers' union, banner protests, and individual protests by educational organization officials. However, a court decision overturned the disciplinary measures, allowing the students' classes to continue.
During the investigation, the reporter met the homeroom teacher through official procedures at the school's administrative office. After leaving a message for the teacher, the reporter exited the school, but the Jeonbuk branch of the teachers' union falsely claimed in a press release that "parents and a Jeonbuk Education Newspaper reporter visited the school together."
The homeroom teacher, who reported the parent to the authorities in December last year, posted on their social media that they had applied for a transfer to M Elementary School upon reinstatement. They mentioned the possibility of becoming the homeroom teacher for the PD Notebook class if there is no competition, but expressed fear about how to interact with parents as a homeroom teacher after reporting a parent for baseless child abuse and malicious complaints. Despite the police investigation failing to prove the allegations of malicious parenting, the teacher held a press conference last month led by a new Jeonbuk branch of the teachers' union, but the parent received a response from the police station stating that "there was no case to report."
A tent was set up next to the Jeonbuk Education Office for the sit-in protest by the homeroom teacher who reported the parent as a senior member of the teachers' union, and visits were made by Cheon Ho-seong, a professor at Jeonju National University running for education superintendent, No Byeong-seop, former head of the Jeonbuk branch of the teachers' union, and a progressive party member of the National Assembly. In response, the university professor parent held a one-person protest holding a picket that read, "The authority created from attacking parents with lies is fake! The authority created by protecting student rights is real!"
The first encounter between the mother of the student and the Jeonbuk Education Newspaper occurred when a high school teacher affiliated with the teachers' union, who was not related to the operation association or higher organization of the newspaper, called for help. The mother, whom the reporter first met, appeared visibly distressed, with tears in her eyes, to the point where it was unbearable to witness. She tearfully expressed that she had been unaware of her child suffering for two years, saying, "My child told me that the teacher is lying on TV. I couldn't forgive myself as a mother." The conversation had to be abruptly ended as the mother hurriedly got up upon receiving a call from her child, saying, "My child says they want to see me," indicating the urgency to leave.
Despite having established good relations with educational organizations before this incident, the Jeonbuk Education Newspaper continued its coverage of the Red Card incident and the M Elementary School incident, enduring all sorts of attacks due to false information, as the situation was urgent and in a severe crisis state, with the judgment that 'unthinkable situations for students and parents must be prevented.'
The M Elementary School incident is connected to the Y Elementary School Red Card incident. The coverage by the Jeonbuk Education Newspaper, which thoroughly investigated and reported on the incidents, is based on facts. Following the initial coverage, the newspaper received numerous calls and malicious spam emails from elementary school teachers nationwide. Despite this, the newspaper believed that if many teachers were incited with false information and students were suffering, efforts should be made to correct the situation.
Although it may take time, it is believed that the day will come when the truth about who did what and why will be clearly revealed, and efforts will not be given up until the end.
📝 Summary:
A controversy has erupted at M Elementary School in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, after a teacher reported a parent to the authorities and then became the homeroom teacher for that parent's child. The parent and student expressed concerns about the situation, leading to public criticism and disciplinary actions. The incident has sparked protests and legal actions involving various parties.
🗣️ Natural Korean Translation:
전북 전주의 M 초등학교에서 한 선생님이 특정 학부모를 당국에 신고한 뒤 그 학부모의 아이의 담임 선생님이 되었다는 문제가 발생했습니다. 학부모와 학생은 이 상황에 대해 우려를 표명했고, 이로 인해 공개 비판과 징계 조치가 있었습니다. 이 사건은 다양한 당사자들을 관련시켜 시위와 법적 조치를 야기했습니다.
❓ Comprehension Questions:
1. What unfair treatment did the student mention in the school diary?
학생이 학교 일기에 언급한 불공평한 대우는 무엇입니까?
2. Why did the mother express concerns about her child meeting the homeroom teacher every day?
어머니가 자신의 아이가 매일 담임 선생님을 만나는 것에 대해 우려를 표현한 이유는 무엇입니까?
3. How did the school respond to the mother's calls regarding her child's treatment?
학교는 어머니가 자신의 아이의 치료에 관한 전화에 어떻게 대답했습니까?
💡 Vocabulary Learning:
1. Controversy, 논란, noun
- A lot of people are involved in the controversy over the new school policy.
- 새 학교 정책에 대한 논란에 많은 사람들이 관여하고 있습니다.
2. Psychological, 심리적인, adjective
- The accident had a psychological impact on the survivors.
- 사고는 생존자들에게 심리적인 영향을 미쳤습니다.
3. Disciplinary, 징계의, adjective
- The student faced disciplinary action for breaking the school rules.
- 학생은 학교 규칙을 어기고 징계 조치를 받았습니다.
4. Malicious, 악의적인, adjective
- The malicious rumors spread quickly through social media.
- 악의적인 소문이 소셜 미디어를 통해 빠르게 퍼졌습니다.
5. Protests, 시위, noun
- The citizens organized peaceful protests to demand political change.
- 시민들은 정치적 변화를 요구하기 위해 평화로운 시위를 조직했습니다.
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