We declare war on the corrupt forces that created undemocratic schools.
Authority and respect are not something I create, they are something others create for me.

Since being appointed as a vice principal, I have been fighting against many deep-rooted evils and steadfastly overcoming them to create a new management image.
"Are you the only vice principal? What are you supposed to do as the next vice principal? Why did you become vice principal instead of just being a teacher?" Fighting off all the ridicule and contempt, I tried to prove that it's not the position that makes the person, but the manager who makes the position.
And while writing this book, I constantly looked back at myself and reflected on myself.
Authority is not something I create, it is something that others create for me.
We must even throw away the authority that others have given us.
Authority should not be confused with power.
I pledged to act and practice so that the democratic life of a teacher can be reflected in the book.


I have seen countless excellent senior teachers leave the classroom because they were not good at writing plans or reports, or because they felt guilty about not getting promoted.
The veterans who loved and respected children more than anyone else, and the younger generation, including myself, were unable to fill the void left by them.
Due to the undemocratic school culture, where administrative skills were valued more than teaching skills, I had no choice but to watch in silence as my teaching experience was neglected and my age was ignored.
We must not pass on such a school to our juniors.
We must pass on to a school where teachers with extensive experience are recognized and respected, and where student education takes precedence over administrative work.
To do so, we must now declare war on the many corrupt forces that have continuously planted deep-rooted undemocratic practices in our schools, including the monstrous promotion system.

Everyone should reflect on whether schools have been properly implementing the educational philosophy stated in Article 2 of the Framework Act on Education, which states, "The purpose is to enable students to lead humane lives by developing the qualities necessary for democratic citizens and to contribute to the development of a democratic nation and the realization of the ideal of common prosperity for humanity."
We must also remember that educators who do not have a democratic citizenship consciousness cannot cultivate democratic citizens.
Teachers who complain that the principal is good but the vice principal is always nagging the teachers should take a closer look before calling the vice principal a loser.
I wonder if the principal's nagging, which is like a snail, is really due to the principal's will.
--- p.37

Clearly, managers are also comrades in education.
They were also teachers, and they are comrades who will continue to be part of the educational family until retirement.
Therefore, managers must look downward to become educational comrades.
Empirically, teachers who believe in education are not obsessed with status.
Their gaze is always directed at the students, not at the administrators.
The same goes for managers.
Managers should not be concerned with preserving or protecting their positions.
And instead of pursuing higher positions and engaging in politics, you should become an administrator who puts the education of teachers and students at the center of your work.
Why managers have become targets of criticism is a problem that managers themselves must consider and resolve.
More than any other profession, school administrators must prioritize breadth over height to truly become educational allies to teachers.
--- p.48

The task of creating official documents with such perfection and neatness, without overlooking even a single dot or space, is something the vice principal alone can risk his life for. Why should he necessarily share this responsibility with the teachers? The more teachers perfect their administrative duties, the less valuable the vice principal becomes.
If you think about it in reverse, you will find the answer to whether you really need to reduce yourself to a being that only needs to click payment.
Even if it's not administrative work, teachers have other areas where they can risk their lives and burn with passion.
Let's break free from this uneducational reality on our own, so that teachers can dedicate their lives to teaching and guiding students' lives.
--- p.58

Scholars should select support specialists, not curriculum or instructional experts.
And the Office of Education, composed of support experts, must first have a democratic appearance.
If the principal and vice principal become accustomed to an undemocratic system and receive direct instructions, control, and supervision from the support office, it is impossible to expect democratic operation of the school.
I hope that the Office of Education and the Support Office will first set an example of democratic operation.
--- p.107

I would like to ask you to honestly tell me whether the job of a vice principal is more difficult than that of a teacher who teaches classes.
Teachers must balance teaching with dealing with people who find it difficult to communicate with and handling work.
I have no shame in saying that teaching is more difficult in front of such teachers.
I hope that the vice principals who have passed their teaching days will not reset their memories of those days.
And please tell your teachers how you feel sometimes.
“Teacher, you must be having a hard time.
“Is there anything I can help you with?” Even while drinking a cup of tea in the staff room, the real job of a vice principal is to watch the teachers heading to their classrooms for class and think about what else they can do to help.
--- p.144

I believe that when a culture that values ​​learning and teaching is prioritized above all else in schools and when it is taken for granted that teachers' job is teaching, the appropriately sized systems, personnel, and finances emphasized by the Ministry of Education and Office of Education will follow.
I also believe that only then can we address the performance-oriented and task-oriented work-first mentality.
To confront the reality of schools prioritizing administrative tasks over instruction and to correct the structural systemic flaws, the entire educational family must dedicate all of its energies to establishing a clear philosophy and principles regarding what schools are and what teachers do.
--- p.197

The Office of Education must perform its role of identifying and resolving problems on the ground and providing various data through two-way communication with schools.
By doing so, the quality of education in schools is improved and effective practice is enabled.
One such thing is to stop the ping pong game.
If a department is designated, schools will waste time interpreting official documents and will experience serious emotional exhaustion among members as they shift responsibility to the school for fear of complaints from the Office of Education.
We must also face the fact that this is the exact opposite of supporting education.

--- p.249