This topic is going viral in Korea due to the alarming statistic of school field trips plummeting from 99% to 23% in Seoul within a single year. This dramatic decline has ignited a national conversation about teacher safety, parental overreach, and the changing landscape of childhood education.
Get ready for some shocking news from the Korean education scene! School field trips, once a staple of childhood memories, are rapidly vanishing, with some reports indicating a staggering drop from 99% participation in 2023 to just 23% in Seoul this year. This dramatic decline has sparked a heated debate across the nation, with many pointing fingers at the rise of **malicious parent complaints** and ambiguous legal guidelines that leave teachers vulnerable.
What's behind this sudden disappearance of **experiential learning trips**? The original post highlights how the inability to effectively screen various complaints and vague legal provisions have created a "farce" for educators. Teachers are increasingly reluctant to organize these outings due to the immense pressure and potential legal battles stemming from even minor incidents. Many commenters also pointed out that even physical education activities are being curtailed due to similar complaints, pushing more children into **private education** for sports. While some argue that family trips can replace school excursions, others lament the loss of unique social development and collective memories that only school trips can provide.
🇰🇷 KOREAN REACTIONS 10
I think this is a desirable phenomenon. Forcing teachers to do field trips, exposing them to malicious parent complaints without any protective measures, is societal violence against teachers.
They say even soccer is being cut because of complaints. I don't understand why all those complaints have to be accepted. If there's an educational purpose, complaints should be filtered...
These days, some parents do experiential learning trips with their kids. I'd prefer if they increased physical education activities instead.
Even PE is minimized due to malicious complaints.
If they increase PE, complaints will explode again. 'My child can't play sports, it lowers their self-esteem,' etc. I even know a mom whose middle schooler often has basketball class and she complains because her child isn't good at it and feels embarrassed.
It seems like a lot of physical activities have moved to private education these days...
These days, families travel a lot together anyway, so I wonder if there's really a need for school trips. It's good to go with many, but with so many problems these days, maybe it's better to just give the money and time for school trips to families to use for a few days each semester.
I remember my childhood trips with friends fondly, even if the food and accommodation weren't great.
You'd know if you watch the full video, but in smaller schools where it's easier to care for kids, over 80% still go. Teachers also say in interviews that there's a lot to learn directly in the field.
Isn't this how various socializations happen? If in the past, excessive collectivism was the problem, perhaps in the future, excessive individualization will be. Teenagers who've experienced the COVID era are already showing new normal patterns in social relationships, and it feels like a completely new landscape will arrive in 10 years.