An elementary school teacher made a public apology for his harsh beating of students.
The school stripped the teacher of his homeroom teacher post.
The male teacher, Oh Yong-su, of Seolbong Elementary School in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, posted a written apology on the school's Web site Tuesday. It comes four days after a video clip was spread online showing him striking a boy with a broomstick in the classroom.
Oh said in the apology, ``I beg forgiveness from parents and students who were shocked by my excessive corporal punishment and behavior that was unworthy of a teacher. I myself even cannot accept the scene that I caused.''
He said he led the class with his own standards, forcing students to follow rules beyond their capacity. ``I forgot my duty as a teacher who should educate children by respecting their ways. I deeply regret causing pain and torment to the students and their parents by losing my rationality and giving the boys physical punishment.'' Oh said.
. . .
The school stripped Oh of his homeroom teacher position and ordered him not to come to the school for a while, according to the headmaster.
The above video (이천 초등학교 체벌 동영상) was taken from here and preserved on youtube. Not to sound cold, because these are elementary school students after all, but I've witnessed worse attacks in person, and have seen and posted videos of even more brutal ones. Matter of fact, corporal punishment is routine according to pretty much every foreign teacher I've listened to, especially in public schools but also in after-school academies. I can't say I don't support some degree of corporal punishment in schools or as a punishment for certain crimes, but I do have to wonder how schools get off telling native speakers things like be more friendly or smile more when half the staff carries weapons to class. Hell, those kids are lucky the teacher only used a plastic broom.
* Update: I finally watched the video with the sound on, and the kid is wailing pretty good. Ugly. Good to see parents and other internet users coming out against this guy.
3 comments:
I am soooooooo down with that.
Why, that nose-picker giving you trouble again?
Man, I was beat up way harsher than that in elementary school by my teachers and I didn't cry like some little bitchass. There were even several legendary 30 minute beat sessions probably prolonged by my impertinent smirking.
My guess is that the kid got razzed and bullied by his peers for squealing like a stuck pig and the video went around to mock him (although the kid's face is obscured) and parents got hold of it.
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