Students, teachers stress more talk and caring atmosphere in schools

The following is the last of a series of articles on school violence brought into the public spotlight following recent student suicides. ― Ed.


A Seoul-based middle school has seen the number of incidents of school violence fall from five to one last year as a result of a three-year effort to reach out to troubled students ― both bullies and those being bullied.

It is a typical public school in Korea, under the same stressful system which puts students under pressure for good grades, except that it has a teacher who has faith that she can change students with love and trust.

The teacher, who asked to be identified by her surname Kwak, has come up with creative programs such as a victim-bullying apology session in which bullying students give an apple to their victims as a token of their apology. The Korean words for apple and apology, “sagwa,” are the same.

They were also offered a chance to take part in special after-school programs together, such as a barbecue party or going to see musicals.

In addition to established anti-bullying programs, what she focused on was treating them like her children with love and affection.

“I can see they are opening their minds and their behavior is getting better. The teachers at my school and I have seen a noticeable progress in the students’ behavior. I think they know that we truly care about them,” she said. 

Heonsan Middle School, an alternative school located in Yongin on the outskirts of Seoul, also has a reputation for changing misbehaving students who often bullied their classmates.

“A few changes in the school environment can bring positive developments in the way students behave,” said Lee Ik-soo, a teacher there.

The school strives to motivate students with a variety of creative activities, such as horse riding, cooking, and pottery making. Regular school classes such as Korean, English, history and math are also taught, accompanied with special programs to keep them interested.

Education experts point to these two schools as an example of what needs to be done to prevent school violence at a basic level.

A spate of student suicides caused by school bullying since December has shocked the nation, prompting officials to develop a flurry of anti-bullying measures.

They include dispatching police officers to patrol schools by the National Policy Agency and making it a mandatory to include school violence and bullying records in students’ grade books.

The government is said to be working on a more comprehensive plan to tackle school violence and is expected to announce it as early as next month.

But experts express concerns the government may lack policy direction.

“I don’t know whether they are focusing on simply rooting out school violence or looking at a more long-term measure that considers guidance for the troubled students,” said Lee Kyu-mee, a long time expert on school violence and school counseling.

Lee is also the director of a newly-established research center for school violence by Teenage Violence Prevention Center, a non-profit civil group established in 1995.

“It’s important to take into account both countermeasures and preventive measures because every time a student violence incident occurs, our focus has been on how to eradicate the problem, instead of thinking about how to prevent it in the first place,” Lee said.

Students also call for measures that can actually work for them and meet their needs, stressing building a trust relationship between students and teachers.

“We would like to keep a close interaction with our teachers, but teachers are too busy with their work to turn their attention to us. If teachers have less work, I think they can pay attention to both the isolated and the troubled,” said Lee Ji-dam, student president of Seong Deok Girl’s Middle School in Seoul at the recent talk with the Education Minister Lee Ju-ho on school violence.

“I want my school to become a compassionate place were we can build a more personal relationship,” said Kim Do-hun of Junggye Middle School in Seoul.

Students suggested some ways that can be tried in schools such as creating healthy entertainment culture and having students listen to worries and troubles of their peers.

“We need something we can all enjoy just like Korean people cheer together for the World Cup games despite social conflicts,” said Kim.

Others expressed concerns about stricter punishment for bullies who are also going through family troubles or financial difficulties at home.

“I don’t know if stricter punishment will be best for them. What good will there be if the school authority suspends problematic students from coming to school and writes down their violent acts in grade books so that they can be disadvantaged in later years,” another student said.

Teachers noted that they need more time and patience to see students change and funding to create a variety of programs that meet different needs of students.

But before that, more communication between students and teachers can reduce school violence dramatically, they stress.

“Many of those who are successful later in life were once problematic at schools. We should not neglect problematic students, nor treat them like criminals, but pay them special attention,” said a teacher.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)