Prologue 02

Chapter 1: 35 Years in the Classroom: A Lonely History of a Vocational Teacher, Written with Love and Innovation 17

My Challenge: The Prologue to a Chalkless Classroom 19
A vocational teacher living at 25: My Teacher's Day 21
The disciple's transformation is my joy, and with endless love, I set Seo○○ straight. 25
Principled Conviction Opens a New Path for Education 29

Chapter 2: The School: The Distorted School Scene and 35 Years of Records

K Middle School: 39 Breathtaking Moments from the First Day of Third Grade
Beyond the "Sleeping Classroom": A Two-Year Record of Teachers' Sorrow and the Collapse of Teachers' Authority 42
The Transfer of "Passion" from the Swamp of Conflict: 48 Memories of the Embarrassing First-Year Vice Principal
The bitter footsteps of a research director, a thoroughgoing educator who left school 52
Hope blooming in the darkness, transcending the sorrow of the five great thousand
The absurdity of fate, a record of that dizzying moment 59
The Painful Growing Pains of Parental Disorder and Lack of Communication 63
Feeling a sense of relief as a homeroom teacher for a special class for returning students 67
Discord between the two heads of the school 71
Warm consideration, the smiles of mothers who protect the classroom 75
Why did the school administrator become an "island"? 79
Parents' Straightforward Call to Wake Up Schools 83
Passion for Education: A Regrettable Record Written in the Absence of a Leader 87
A Dizzying Parent's 4-Hour-and-30-Minute Phone Call: The Beginning of Change 90
Shadow of the Rejected Child, April 2017, 93
100 as a policy advisory committee member for innovative schools, a crossroads for educational innovation in Seoul
The Distorted Promotion Landscape in Education: A Memoir of a Newly Established School's Academic Affairs Director in 2008 (Part 104)
A calling blossomed under the shadow of anxiety: 107 brilliant encounters from my 35 years of teaching.
A New Challenge: Record 112 at Y Middle School
The Growing Pains of a New Organization: Lessons from the Day the "Lid" Was Lifted 116
Beyond the Wall of "Isolation," a Journey of Communication as Communion 119
A Career Guidance Teacher's Confessions: Building Dreams from Children's Perspective 124
The Struggle with Desk Administration: Experiences at Jeungsan Middle School 128
A New Teacher's Tears: The Real Face of School Life and Teachers' Concerns - 133
The Shadow of an Old Classroom: Facing a 'Distorted' Record 137
Reflecting on the Appointment of Overseas Korean School Principals: The Ministry of Education's Self-Portrait and the Weight of its Mission 140
A Small Legacy from Jakarta: The Resonance of Three Languages, "A Word for Today" 144
Textbooks arrived on March 13th, a flower of education blooming in a foreign land.
Five Nightmarish Years with Principal K 150

Chapter 3: The Paradoxes of 35 Years in Teaching, the Shadow of Leadership, and the Traps of the System (155)

My 30 Years of Teaching: 160 Vice Principals in the Shadows
My 35 Years of Teaching: 172 Principals in the Shadows
The realities, abilities, relationships, and systemic traps encountered in the classroom
(Reflections on 35 Years and 5 Months of Teaching) 181
Reality, Abilities, Relationships, and the Traps of the System Encountered in the Church (2) 210

Chapter 4: 35 Years and 5 Months: A Record of Educational Role Models Who Shined with Dedication and Love 214

The best role model I've encountered on my journey as an educator: Principal B, 218
The name of a true educator engraved in my teacher's notebook: Director S 221
The Calling of the Playground: The Greatest Teacher of Our Time, Mr. K 224
A brief encounter, a long-lasting impression, an icon of innovation: Remembering Principal L 227
My Educational Journey, That Shining Connection - The Best Teacher, Soyoung Jeong 231
Two miraculous connections: 234 to Mr. K, the hidden powerhouse who moves the school forward.
A precious relationship with J, a teaching assistant who shined with confidence and sincerity 239
The Hidden Light of School: A Portrait of a Luxury Education Created Through Dedication 242
The unforgettable joy of school blossoming at children's tables: Y Nutritionist 246
L's Honorable Dedication 250
The Eternal Light of Education: Principal J 252
A Great Mirror Engraved on My Educational Journey: Principal K 256
In the spring of 2020, we witnessed the dedication of an education professional who shone amidst despair. 259

Chapter 5: Life After Retirement 263

Living a second life as a special probation officer.
264
The Reward of Being a School Violence Investigator 274
The rewards of living and continuing to live as a teacher 280

Chapter 6: On the Path of Education Toward the Future 285

Thirty-Six Years Later, a Cry from the Pedestal: Abolishing the Ministry of Education Is the Way to Save Children 291
My Memoir: In Search of the Future of Education, Vol. 295
Suggestions: 300 Autobiographical Proposals for an Education Office to Revitalize Schools and Innovate
Transforming Sleeping Classrooms into Living Classrooms: Fundamental Improvements to the College Entrance Exam System 305
School Violence: A Tragedy That Never Ends, and the Misconceptions of Administrators and the System 313
Seeking fundamental alternatives to reduce school violence,
317 Focusing on 'school maladjustment' and 'rigid system'

Epilogue 322

Questioning the essence of education in the face of the waves of the times:
35 Years and 5 Months: A Heartfelt Confession of an Educational Journey

Dear readers, and everyone concerned about the future of the Republic of Korea.
Since I first stepped into the private school classroom in 1985 with dreams of success, I have spent 35 years and 5 months dedicated to school life until my retirement as a vice principal in August 2020.
In 1999, I took on the new challenge of special recruitment to a public university, crossing the boundaries between public and private schools, experiencing the culture of middle and high schools, and even gaining experience at an international school abroad in 2018.
This long and arduous journey is not simply a list of careers, but a record of the lonely reflections of an educator who has experienced the light and dark sides of Korean education firsthand and most deeply.

As the rivers and mountains changed nearly four times, I met the eyes of countless students in the small universe called the classroom.
In those eyes, there was both hope for the future and anxiety about the present.
But as time passed, a dark shadow began to fall over a corner of my heart.
The harsh reality I learned during my 35 years and 5 months of work was the painful truth that our future is not as bright as we hoped.
“If our education system remains unchanged and continues to be taught in schools as it is now, there is no future.” This assertion is not simply the lament of a retired vice principal.
This is a desperate warning to our education system, which has neglected the essence of education and clung to an outdated system in the face of turbulent times.

The Shadow of Educational Egoism and the Divergent Classroom Landscape

Compared to the 80s and 90s when I started teaching, the number of students per class has decreased noticeably.
It was clearly a golden opportunity to improve the quality of education.
But what is the reality? Even within the same region and under the jurisdiction of the same Office of Education, a distorted reality unfolds, with small schools with just 15-20 students coexisting with overcrowded schools with 30-40 students.
Why are educational practices so wildly disparate? On the surface, it's true that some parents' selfish educational ambitions are at play.
While I understand parents' desire to send their children to prestigious school districts and so-called "good schools," this is devastation of the educational environment in other schools.

But deeper still lies the incompetence and indolence of educational administration.
This is because the Board of Education is unable to conduct an accurate and objective diagnosis of the school environment.
Areas with densely packed schools are suffering from overcrowding, and schools on the outskirts are at the crossroads of survival.
In such an unbalanced and unequal educational environment, how can we possibly offer a fair future to all students? Problems in schools are no longer just school problems; they are evidence of a diseased core within the entire education system.

Is it a school for students or an institution for teachers?

Through this book, I want to ask the most fundamental and uncomfortable questions.
“Do schools exist for the sake of students?”
After 35 years and 5 months, and putting all my experience and sincerity into education, the answer I have come to is a cold and painful “No.”
While the system and format suggest that schools are institutions that help students grow, the harsh reality is that schools are unable to escape the shackles of being "preparatory institutions for higher-level school entrance exams."

The 'education worthy of being called 'education' that is truly necessary for children's lives is not something that schools are not currently providing, but rather that they are not able to do so.
Teachers are trapped by the thick walls of administrative work and college entrance exam pressure, unable to impart to children the life wisdom and strength they truly need to thrive in the future.

Faced with this reality, I came to the tragic conclusion that schools do not exist for students, but are merely institutions for teachers.
Of course, the teacher's passion and dedication are important.
But if the system itself prevents teachers from truly caring for their students, individual efforts will ultimately be in vain.
Is the education we receive in schools today truly providing the essential education we need for our lives? "No," is my honest and painful answer, based on 35 years of teaching.

Is the Office of Education a stumbling block in its uninspiring administration?

Another huge wall blocking fundamental changes in school education is the Ministry of Education and the Office of Education.
I cannot help but ask about the reason for the existence of the Board of Education.
Are boards of education truly institutions that exist to support schools? Unfortunately, my long experience has left me with the impression that they are merely the vanguard of institutionalized education, designed to maintain the government and regime's system.
Their role was closer to that of a controlling and monitoring agency or system rather than one that supported the school environment.

The suffering experienced in schools is so accurately condensed in a single statement from a teacher: “The Office of Education is nothing more than an unfeeling administrative agency.”
Rather than taking the pulse of the field, they are buried in paperwork and guidelines, repeating empty administrative tasks, which has demoralized countless teachers and stifled creativity in education.
Is it just me who feels that the Board of Education is the biggest obstacle blocking change in schools? I absolutely believe that's not the case.
The cries of countless field teachers will give strength to this opinion.

35 years and 5 months of reflection: change starts here

Education needs to change.
And for education to change, schools must change.
Furthermore, for schools to change, the Ministry of Education and the Office of Education must first undergo fundamental change.
This is the clearest and most urgent conclusion I have come to in my 35-year and 5-month educational journey.
Through this book, I intend to diagnose the current state of education in South Korea and take a hard look back at where we went wrong.
I sincerely hope that my autobiographical experiences and reflections will serve as a small spark that opens a new educational paradigm for our future generations.
I have no intention of disparaging anyone.
Only when we truly begin to educate our students will our future become bright.
With this earnest wish in mind, I am writing this book based on 35 years and 5 months of faded school notebooks and field experience.
- Fall 2025,
Kim Chang-hak, an educator who yearns for the essence of education