“Small dots came together to create a huge wave,” Teachers support each other in solidarity

On September 4, the 49th day after the death of A, a teacher who died in an elementary school in Seocho-gu, Seoul, teachers and citizens from all corners of the country gathered in front of the National Assembly in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Before the demonstration began on Monday, declared by the teachers as a day of pause in public education, one participant wrote a message in the open chatroom on KakaoTalk named, “Let’s meet as a dot in front of the National Assembly on September 4, the 49th day.”

“I came after I thought really hard about it because I was alone.”

Then a string of answers from teachers and citizens who also participated in the demonstration alone followed, “I’m alone, too.” “I’m going by myself too.” In about a minute, more than a dozen people had mentioned that they were heading out to the demonstration alone.

The demonstration of teachers following the death of A in July was held by teachers in schools supporting a team that organized the rally through online communities of elementary school teachers and not by any particular teachers’ organization. One thing they have in common is that they are all teachers, but the demonstrations are run by a loose and sporadic network of participants. The open chatroom on KakaoTalk created by the organizers has become a window for participants to pass on the demonstration status in real time, share information, communicate and show solidarity.

Since over 50,000 people took part in the demonstration Monday, the open chatroom was also packed with participants. The two open chatrooms with a capacity for 1,500 people each were already full in the morning, making it impossible for more people to join. The third chatroom that was opened was also full more than an hour before the main event, which started at 4:30 p.m.

Teachers clad in black in memory of the late teacher referred to themselves as black dots. One teacher wrote in the chatroom, “Alone we are meager dots, but together, let’s create a huge black wave.” Another teacher wrote, “Dots come together to form a line, and lines come together to create a plane. The planes will come together in harmony to form a big structure called education.” On Monday, teachers who gathered as “dots” from all over the country filled nearly 400 meters of the street from Exit 2 of the National Assembly Station to Yeouido Park.

The teachers encouraged each other, yet at the same time, they voiced concerns that they would be punished for participating in the rally. Teachers from schools where the principal did not designate the day as a school holiday had to participate after taking leave or sick leave. “Can I take sick leave or leave the school early only when I go to the hospital?” When a teacher asked in the open chatroom, someone replied, “You should at least prepare the paperwork to protect yourself.” Participants also exchanged conversations showing their concern, “Let’s use cash just in case,” “I used my husband’s credit card to get here,” and “Can’t we even use our transportation cards?”

Other teachers also shared stories of how teachers in managerial positions, such as principals and vice principals, supported the demonstration. One teacher wrote, “Our vice principal told us to get a doctor’s note in case we suffered any damages. I was grateful.” Another teacher wrote, “The principal and vice principal at our school takes part in demonstrations every weekend. They also approved my sick leave today and cheered me telling me to stay strong.” The other teachers responded by acknowledging that there were some wonderful people in the schools.

The open chatroom, which was quiet during the main demonstration, filled with messages recognizing everyone’s hard work after the demonstration ended. The organizers notified participants that they could take the 1,000 carnations, which the organizers prepared and offered to A at the site of the demonstration Monday.