In November 2016, a small rural high school received a ministerial award at the 4th Korea Character Education Awards, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
About half of the students at this school come from low-income families, farming or fishing households, single-parent homes, or are raised by grandparents. Most of them have had to take on responsibilities for their family’s livelihood from a young age. Just ten years ago, the school had a reputation as a “troubled school,” marked by frequent tardiness, students sleeping or goofing off in class, and widespread defiance of teachers.
What turned things around was a program called “Family Bonding.” In it, each teacher was paired with about 10 students to form a “family.” Students called their teacher “Mom” or “Dad,” and teachers referred to the students as their “sons” and “daughters.” Depending on their grade level, the students also became “older siblings” or “younger siblings” to one another. But it didn’t stop at names; they created family mottos, held family meetings, celebrated birthdays, studied together, and joined club activities as a group.
Since the program began, students’ attitudes toward learning drastically improved, academic performance increased, and incidents of bullying or violence disappeared altogether.
The attention and care that teachers gave their students in the name of family became a powerful foundation for character development.