A student gives a teacher a carnation at a high school in Mapo District, western Seoul, for Teacher's Day on May 15, 2023. [YONHAP]
What was supposed to be a day celebrating teachers has instead become one of the most stressful days of the year for many educators in Korea. Held annually on May 15, Teacher's Day has been overshadowed by complaints from parents, concerns about gift restrictions and even pressure over photos and social media.
“It feels risky both to accept and refuse carnations or letters prepared by students,” said Kim, an elementary school teacher in Seoul.
It is customary for Korean students to gift carnations to their teachers on Teachers' Day, but this practice is currently under jeopardy due to the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, commonly known as the Kim Young-ran law. The law prohibits teachers from accepting personal gifts such as coffee, cake or other small items from students or parents under their direct evaluation.
Kim recalled that one student came to school last year wearing a T-shirt that read, “Thank you for your dedication as a teacher.” Not long afterward, the teacher received a message from the student’s parent asking, "Wasn't my kid adorable? Why didn't you upload their photos as your new profile photo?"
“Even moments of appreciation feel like being monitored,” Kim said. “That’s why teachers joke that the best Teachers’ Day gift is a student being absent. No complaints, no photo requests and no pressure over refusing gifts.”
Pressure surrounding photos of students is even more severe for teachers at day care or kindergartens.
A drone light show titled ″With Gratitude″ unfolds over Gwangan Beach in Suyeong District, Busan, on May 9, marking Parents' Day and Teachers' Day. [YONHAP]
Oftentimes, parents reportedly expect pictures of their children when they go to class wearing special outfits or carrying flowers. The expectation places a burden on teachers to take and upload photos throughout the day while simultaneously caring for the children in the class.
The problem is that there are multiple children in one class, each of them as special and unique as they are to their parents' eyes.
Some daycare teachers have even started a campaign encouraging teachers to take a break from sending parents photos of their children, even for just one day on Teachers’ Day.
“For teachers caring for children, the task [of taking photos] has become burdensome,” said a daycare teacher in Seoul. “Being freed from the so-called photo labor even for one day would honestly be the best gift.”
An AI-generated image depicting a parent burdening a school teacher [CHATGPT]
Negative perceptions surrounding Teachers’ Day have also resurfaced in debates over the Kim Young-ran law.
The Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education posted a guideline titled “Complete Guide to the Antigraft Law” on Wednesday, explaining that while celebration cakes for Teachers’ Day events at schools are allowed, students cannot share pieces of the cake with teachers or give the cake directly to the teachers.
“How is this a proper guideline for Teachers’ Day — saying students can have a celebratory cake but shouldn’t give the cake to teachers?” some teachers wrote online. "It treats us like potential criminals."
School visits have also declined compared to previous years.
A preregistration system for school visits aimed at preventing unauthorized entry and protecting teacher rights in Seoul has made it less common for alumni to return to schools to greet former teachers.
“I understand the [preregistration] system has been introduced to protect schools,” said an elementary school teacher in Seoul. “But it’s true that schools no longer feel as welcoming on Teachers’ Day as they once did.”
Activists from the Korea Federation of Teachers’ Associations hold a press conference calling for improvements to teacher rights protection measures in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on April 15. [YONHAP]
More than half of teachers said they had considered resigning or changing jobs within the past year, according to a survey of 7,180 teachers nationwide released by the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Unions on Thursday.
The biggest reason for considering resignation or quitting was malicious complaints from parents and guardians, selected by 62.8 percent of respondents.
“This is a warning sign for public education,” said Kim Hee-jeong, spokesperson for the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Unions. “Many teachers feel despair because there is no system in place to protect teachers from abusive [parent] complaints.”
"Restoring the meaning of Teachers’ Day would require more than symbolic appreciation," said Kang Joo-ho, president of the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations. “What matters most is creating conditions where teachers can focus solely on teaching and caring for students."
All three major teachers’ organizations — the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Unions and the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations — are expected to boycott the Ministry of Education's 45th Teachers’ Day ceremony on Friday over alleged disagreement with the planned programming for the event.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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