It is commonly thought that teachers are usually treated with great respect in Korea, with students calling them their ``parents of the classroom'' and even a song has been written for them in national textbooks.

Huh, a 30-year-old teacher, had a rude awakening in his first year at a high school in Kyonggi Province.

``Things have changed so much from when I was in high school, and even then teachers complained that we didn't treat them in the proper manner. These days, students openly criticize teachers' skills, chat or text message on mobile phones during classes and even miss school for days without explanation. We as teachers are supposed to be fine with that,'' said Huh, who believes that frequent news reports about corrupt teachers and failing students are further eroding the respect for his profession.

``There is nothing we can do as we are closed out of key discussions and decision making that could make the quality of education better. And we are forced to connect with our students only under a big, machine-like process that has the single purpose of sending them to a four-year college in Seoul, which makes our job similar to goal-oriented sports coaches,'' he said.

The diminishing respect toward teachers has reached a point where stories of them being attacked by students or their parents hardly causes one to bat an eyelash. According to a report yesterday by the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA), there were 179 cases last year where teachers at secondary schools experienced problems with parents or students, which is a 24 percent increase from 2005. More than half of the cases were related to physical abuse.

More than 80 teachers have consulted the KFTA last year over lawsuits filed against them by the parents of their students, doubling the 40 teachers who asked for help in 2005, the association said.

``The rise in lawsuits epitomizes critical changes in the relationships between teachers, students and parents. There are even legal brokers looking to take advantage of the teachers who will see their job status threatened if sued by parents,'' said Shin Sung-ki, a director at KFTA.

It seems that students and parents are not the only ones who are treating teachers with less respect. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said it will have its schools move the celebrations for the May 15 Teachers' Day to February starting next year, to eliminate the possibilities of teachers receiving money or gifts from parents.

``Teachers' Day has traditionally been the time of year when parents compete to give teachers gifts to seek an advantage for their children in classrooms. It's more about a day of inconvenience than pride anyway,'' said Cho Hak-gyu, an official at the education office.

Although from a school in a different district, Huh takes the move more personally.

``It doesn't help us in any way if administrators openly regard us as potential bribe-takers,'' he said.

thkim@koreatimes.co.kr