On April 27, a post with the title “Elementary School Teacher, Is He Normal?” has littered the internet with severe controversies on whether a teacher's words and actions were sexually inappropriate. He was blamed for assigning the homework of washing underwear and also for saying sexually inappropriate comments to his students. However, there are also opposing reactions to the incident, saying that his deeds do not seem mischievous and that the criticism has gone too far. The case itself and the reactions surrounding it are throwing serious questions at society about gender sensitivity and the power dynamics behind this incident.
The incident goes back to when one of the student’s parents saw his remarks in a social networking service (SNS) chat room. The teacher allegedly body-shamed his students by saying, “Oh, attractive and sexy,” or “There are so many beautiful girls in this class. Good for your boyfriends.” Accordingly, the parent filed a civil complaint to the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education (UMOE) to which the teacher responded saying that all of his remarks were to raise his students’ self-esteem and that he did not realize those expressions could sound sexually inappropriate and appearance-oriented.
In regard to his response, the UMOE only gave him a disciplinary warning, but he was still embroiled in controversies because of the “washing underwear” homework he gave to his students. He commented, “Our princess,” “Pink underwear,” and “So pretty” on the pictures of his students’ underwear. This act itself is sexual and the fact that it was said to children does not change the sexual connotation of the remark. Sexually inappropriate sentences always remain inappropriate and should not be called or excused as mere “jokes” only because they were said to students by teachers.
A Matter of Power Dynamics
The gist of this incident is a matter of power dynamics. Teachers and students are an explicit example of a typical relationship between subordinates and superiors within a society. The power imbalance in relationships has long been used to commit or justify sexual crimes; specifically, there is a term, “grooming crime,” which refers to the act of psychologically dominating a person by abusing specific features characteristic to certain relationships. For instance, in a teacher and student relationship, there is a social awareness about how students should follow their teachers and that teachers are almost always right. This logic specifically relates to the power dynamic and is such a crucial point when noticing that this power serves as a mask of excuses for sexual crimes.
Due to this power imbalance that sometimes functions as a hypocritical mask, there is a high need for regular and professional sex education in different social groups, including in a school community. What should be particularly foregrounded is the notion of “gender sensitivity,” which the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has explained as “taking into account the particularities pertaining to the lives of both women and men, while aiming at eliminating inequalities and promoting an equal distribution of resources, addressing and taking into account the gender dimension.” The point precisely considers the overall gender particularities that may exist within a society.
One of the key points in “gender sensitivity” is self-reflection. Self-reflection is the ability to perceive and reflect on the sexism that is internalized in one’s mind. In the case of teachers, since the distinctive gender consciousness of the instructor can directly influence students, it is necessary for teachers to be educated with appropriate sex and gender education content, and to be careful about their remarks and actions. In order for this to happen, there should be reinforced sex education among teachers.
Steps Ahead for a Safe School Community
As for now, the Ministry of Education (MOE) is obligating more than four hours of education annually for the prevention of violence, including sexual violence, as a whole. However, a mere four-hour education in a year seems to be only a formality. In addition, the MOE’s educational content has been criticized for being anachronistic — the content contains a lot of perspectives from evolutionary psychology, which has been blamed for justifying and even consolidating sexism. The MOE needs to get out of this dull sensitivity now and start providing practical and empathetic guidelines on what can be possibly offensive in a school society and why that is.
Adding on to the need for appropriate education, meticulous monitoring and proper punishments are essential. However, there are worries and burdens imposed to people who are willing to whistle-blow in certain cases. As for the Ulsan incident, it would have been worrisome to school parents to take action against the teacher’s bad deeds because their actions can directly influence the treatment of their children. The parent who first filed a civil complaint would have been concerned if the UMOE did not take any direct actions, such as replacing the teacher. It was only after the incident was made public through a post on the internet that the UMOE started to ask for a police investigation.
To facilitate the process, vigilant monitoring and more instant and intensive punishments are needed. Students with yet incomplete sexual awareness may not even realize the fact that they are being sexually harassed. That is why parents and teachers should always keep an eye out for students. Channels that can notify damage anonymously should be activated as well. Relentless punishments are the foremost task in this matter. If the Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education (MPOE) do not take serious actions for each incident in schools, the witnesses will always remain anxious and the aggressors will always remain double-faced. The MOE has implemented a “one strike-out” policy that heavily punishes public educational officials responsible for sexual crimes. However, the reality is that most teachers come back to teach in schools after nothing more than a slap on the wrist. The MPOE seems to turn a blind eye to incidents to avoid making a bigger issue and rid themselves of the weighty responsibility.
Gender sensitivity is not a choice, but a responsibility that everyone should justly bring into their lives. Gender sensitivity is the way towards a world where no one needs to feel worried or bothered by any insensible and irresponsible sexual remarks or actions. To develop that value into a common principle in our society, active discussions are needed. Students, teachers, and parents need to talk in their respective schools about what is okay and what is not, about what is to be handled with care and what is to be questioned. After these open discussions and education, systematic support should ensure the safety of the people who whistle-blow and punish the aggressors properly.