"Reviewing what you have learned and learning anew, you are fit to be a teacher." -2:11
[2-11] 子曰。溫故而知新、可以爲師矣。

"The Analects" (논어, 論語) were compiled in their final form in or around 210 B.C. by students of Confucius (공자, 孔子) (551 B.C. - 479 B.C.), probably the most famous teacher in ancient East Asia. His influence, or at least interpretations of his influence, have since spread across time and across space, leaving their mark on many modern East Asian societies.

Though World Teachers' Day falls on Oct. 5 each year, Korea celebrates its own Teacher's Day (스승의 날), or National Teacher's Day, in mid-May each year. The modern form of this holiday started in 1963 when a group of Red Cross youth visited their teacher who was ill in the hospital. In 1965, the holiday was moved to coincide with the birthday of King Sejong the Great (1397-1450), which falls on May 15. The holiday was banned from 1973 to 1982 during some of the darkest days of dictatorship, but it was resumed in 1983 as civil society began to open up and to find its own voice.

Every year on May 15, or on the closest school day before May 15, teachers across the nation are presented with carnations. Both current students and former students head to the classroom to honor their favorite teachers and to present them with single red carnations. Also on May 15 each year in the capital, the Ministry of Education issues a merit award to one outstanding teacher from across the nation. This educator is rewarded for their ideal methodology, their influence on their pupils and their overall work toward improving society. In the provinces and across the country, alumni organizations often organize "gratitude-showing ceremonies" or general acts of gratitude at their local schools to thank their former teachers. We all spend about two decades of our youth in school, and honoring our favorite teachers reminds us of our youth and brings us back together with our classmates of yesteryear.

However, as with most things, there can be a dark side to Teacher's Day, as well, and it's a result of the failures found in the modern Korean education system. As reported in the Los Angeles Times on May 13, 2009, there are occasional scandals when wealthy students give particularly lavish gifts to their teacher. In fact, some schools even close on Teacher's Day to avoid any such suspicion of bribery or favoritism. As the article notes, "Authorities were looking to intercept a bribe -- usually a plain envelope stuffed with cash -- given by overanxious parents seeking any classroom advantage for their children as they negotiate the highly competitive school environment."

Nonetheless, the scandals mostly stand out simply for their rarity. A bigger threat to Teacher's Day is apathy.

In May 2012, the Korea Times ran the headline "Teacher's Day has become dying tradition." It quoted survey results showing that most graduates either ignore Teacher's Day, don't feel "ready" to show themselves to their teachers again or are simply busy on May 15, too busy to drop by their high school to present their favorite teacher with a red carnation.

The government's official goals for the holiday are, "To create a social climate of respect and authority, to have one day when we honor teachers, to boost teacher morale, and to improve the social status of teachers." (교권존중과 스승공경의 사회적 풍토를 조성하여 교원의 사기진작과 사회적 지위향상을 위하여 지정된 날.) Indeed, upon reading this dry mission statement, it's no wonder that the modern graduate is apathetic toward Teacher's Day.

However, not all is so dystopian. There is a beam of light on Teacher's Day, as Google Doodler Olivia Huynh said on May 15, 2015. "Teachers are our mentors, friends and catalysts. They’re the wild, eager sparks that can, with a word, set our passions ablaze. Not quite parents, they nevertheless raise us to be the very best versions of ourselves. Their impressions last lifetimes, as the lessons we’ve learned are passed down to others, like inheritances of wisdom. Today, let’s celebrate teachers, one of the noblest and most selfless of callings, all across Korea."

Indeed, I don't think anyone has said it better.

So on this day, even if only through Facebook, let's reach out to our former educators. They mean a lot to us, to who we are today, and to how we grew up as a kid.

Happy Teacher's Day.

By Gregory C. Eaves
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Yonhap News
gceaves@korea.kr