Once upon a time, there was a small private tutorial school, called Sudang, where several children were learning Chinese classics from an old teacher. The teacher was such a strict disciplinarian that all his pupils were afraid of him whenever they misbehaved. The teacher used to enjoy snacking, while he was watching children studying. He would take out a small basket from his closet in the study hall and snack on something with great relish, frequently issuing a warning to the children that it was only for adult consumption and would be fatally poisonous to children. The children were curious but never had a chance to find out what it was that the teacher was eating.
Then, one day, the teacher had some business and went to town, leaving behind a stern reminder that children should study hard during his brief absence. Out of irresistible curiosity, a few older pupils decided to investigate the teacher's closet to find out his secret snack food which was supposed to be poisonous to them. Inside the bamboo basket they found dried persimmons neatly stacked and layered with dried persimmon peels. They had thought that the teacher had been eating some sort of medicinal food intended for adults only.
Having uncovered the secret and found such a delicacy, the children forgot all about whom the food belonged to and were overcome by mouth-watering appetite. At first, only a few older and more daring younger ones gobbled up a few perssimons, but soon every one got into the act. And in no time the entire basket was emptied except for some peels.
When the feast was over, the children came to their senses and realized what they had done. They did what was unthinkable! They were worried: "What should we say to the teacher when he
returns?" They racked their brains to come up with some excuses which the tutor might consider and accept. Then they might get less severe punishment. One of the boys, who had ordinarily been quiet, suggested an idea. The boy picked up the teacher's treasured inkstone from his desk and dropped it on the hard wooden floor, breaking it into halves and spattering black ink all over the teacher's cushioned seat. He then toppled the teacher's desk, and told everybody to lie down on all over the floor with blankets covered over their bodies.
Late in that afternoon the teacher returned from the trip. No sooner he opened the door to the study hall with a loud "Eh hemm!" than he found the hall was in big mess--spattered ink, upsidedown desk, and all the children lying under the coverings, looking all dazed. Astounded at the scene, the teacher bellowed: "What is going on? What has happened?" The master-minded boy got up slowly, his face showing mock pain, and said: "Master, in the midst of rough play during a brief recess, we accidentally toppled your desk, breaking your cherished inkstone. We did not know what to do. Finally, everyone of us decided to die to pay for our unforgivable mischief. So, we took the basket out and ate all that was in it. Now, we are waiting for the poison to take effect. We are very, very sorry, Master." The teacher made a long and deep breath and went outside without saying a word. And outside, he said to himself with a smile: "Hmmm... they are growing!"
There are many folktales and some true stories about one of the old social Institutions called
Sudang, private tutorial "schools" in old Korea. Such schools were everywhere where villages and towns were. Many children, teens and pre-teens from aristocratic families, were sent there to study reading, recitation and brush-writing under one teacher, starting from a primer of Chinese characters, ultimately leading to the study of the Chinese classics (the Four Books and Five Classics). It was to prepare these children as gentlemen, learned and morally upright, fitting to their social stations. And for many, a shorter-range goal was to prepare themselves for the all important state civil service examinations. Teachers were, in general, learned Confucian scholars respected in the community.
Discipline was strict in accordance with Confucian teachings and codes of ethics. Many stories are about children releasing their tension through harmless pranks when their teachers are absent and older boys are in charge. The following is one of such stories.
