A story of an elementary school teacher who quietly supported a student from a single-parent family for seven years has recently come to light, drawing praise for the educator's compassion.
The story surfaced in a handwritten letter from the student's mother sent to the Posco Education Foundation on Friday, which marked Teacher’s Day in South Korea.
The letter said the teacher at Pohang Jecheol Jigok Elementary School began supporting the family in 2016 while serving as the child's first-grade homeroom teacher after learning that the student and his mother were struggling financially following his father’s death.
The mother said she chose to share the story after finding stable employment in March, even though the teacher had repeatedly asked that the matter remain private.
She wrote that the teacher had offered to support her son until his high school graduation and had since quietly provided 150,000 won ($100) every month for seven years.
“I spent countless nights in tears, staring at the ceiling and overwhelmed with gratitude,” the mother wrote in the letter. “The teacher did something even our relatives could not do for us. wanted people to know about the love and care the teacher showed my child."
The Posco Education Foundation honored the teacher on Thursday, where he received a commendation and an award at the foundation’s headquarters.
The foundation praised the teacher’s support as “a warm miracle that helped rebuild a family,” adding that his yearslong dedication serves as an inspiration to educators across the country.
junheee@heraldcorp.com
