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By Park Gi-hyun
My best-ever teacher was a woman whom I met in the first grade of middle school. She was distinctively different from the other teachers. Surrounded by boisterous pupils who were overly excited about entering middle school, she managed to stay calm and undeterred throughout the semester. Unlike most female teachers who were very soft and gentle, she was strong, determined and spoke in a low tone.
Her favorite sport was boxing, which explicitly defined her energetic and lively personality. She often posed "punching," a typical posture of boxing, in the classroom whenever students asked about her favorite sports. That really made me laugh a lot.
In contrast to her outgoing personality, she was a fine arts teacher for an after-school class. I still vividly remember how she delicately painted and finely made pottery in art class. She spent hours helping students struggling with their artworks and I was routinely one of them. She was my savior because she always kindly lent her hand to revitalize my inept art piece. Quite frankly, my admiration for her largely drove me to be in her class for two years even though I had little interest in fine arts.
I was a high-spirited girl. Incessantly talking with my friend during the class, I often stood in the corridor for at least 15 minutes and was assigned to clean the washroom as a punishment. But, I did not view it as harsh treatment because I knew I deserved it due to my misbehavior. Actually, all that discipline helped me become closer to my teacher, as I spent more time talking with her and learning lessons from her.
One day, not giving prior notice, my friend and I visited her house. But, she wholeheartedly welcomed us and cooked "tteokbokki" (stirred fried spicy rice cake) for us. This has been one of the unforgettable moments of my teenage years. Since then, she has been my favorite teacher, who strictly disciplined me but warmly embraced me without judgment.
These days, many teachers are coping with depression, triggered by the enormous stress caused by various conditions in school. The latest report released by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union has shown that 63.4 percent out of 3,505 teachers who responded said that they have suffered from depression. Many teachers are frequently harassed by unruly students and overbearing parents who are fixated on the rights of their children and academic success.
Under these circumstances, teachers and students can barely form a good relationship. It is so unfortunate that students do not get much chance to develop closer relationships with their teachers, whose rights have been threatened and their sense of vocation has been lost. Recent teacher rallies have obviously shed light on the grave issues in the classrooms. Time is required for reform and the changes will be made at some point. I envisage a time when every teacher is delighted?by respectful classes and students are appreciative of their inclusive teachers. Perhaps a teacher can turn into a lifelong friend, just like my favorite teacher in the past, whom I still deeply admire and truly miss.
The writer (faith0906@gmail.com) is a freelance English translator based in Korea.
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