- Daejeon Schools
- Vocational High School
- All Girls High School
- Co-Ed Middle School
- Cheongju Schools
- All girls Middle School
- Co-Ed High school
- Elementary School
- Advanced Science High School
VISITING HUNGDEOK HIGH SCHOOL
I signed up to go to a co-ed high school in Cheongju since I am very interested in teaching at the secondary level and wanted to see a mix of genders. After about 1-2 hours on the bus, my group arrived at Hungdeok High School. The bus dropped us off, and we were greeted at the entrance by the principal and vice-principal, if I remember correctly. We were led into the school and asked to change into slippers for the rest of the day. Changing into slippers indoors is a common thing in Korean society. Bare toes in professional settings is considered rude, so I had on black socks to go with my black flats.
INTERACTING WITH KOREAN STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM
Most of our day was dedicated to shadowing a current ETA and the strategies she used to conduct one of her classes. Even though the school was co-ed, the class we ended up shadowing was only girls. They were all in uniforms, and on their desks were an assortment of things that amused me: cute pencil pouches, bright hair curlers, make-up, small blankets, and, on one desk, a can of Febreze. Somehow suspecting that the girls seated together were using it as a perfume, I asked them what they used it for.
At the end of the day, a student gave us a presentation about the school in English. She must have been their top student because her pronunciations were spot-on. After this, the photo op.
AMERICAN FULBRIGHT ETAS BEING TREATED LIKE CELEBRITIES
I haven't taken as many photos since getting here because everyone else has been pretty enthusiastic in taking care of the photographing for me. Of course I shouldn't have relied on the others since I have no way of knowing if they're even actually going to give me copies of the photos later. That aside, we were treated like celebrities at the school and it seemed like everyone wanted a photo with us. The students who saw us at the hallway were amazed by our presence at their school, and some bowed shyly while others said enthusiastic hellos!
Based on a workshop on the Korean educational system I had sat in on yesterday, I was surprised that the students did not look haggard, or that they didn't have black circles under their eyes from stress and lack of sleep. I could write a different post about the Korean educational system for another day, but suffice it to say (for now, at least) that the workshop depressed me. At the same time, a powerful thought that had slowly been building up in the past week suddenly overcame me: love your students.
THE KOREAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
They are in school from 7 am-10:30 pm alternating between classes and self-study before going to their hagwons (or private tutoring places for various subjects). By the time that they finish their hagwons, they then do a little bit more studying on their own before finally going back home at around 3-4 a.m. Only to wake up a couple of hours later to start another day at 7 a.m....
Remembering this from the workshop helped explain to me why there were hair curlers, cosmetics, blankets, and even Febreze on the students' desks. They are there all day. All of them preparing for the one great test that will determine their futures and the course of their lives.
There's a lot here to talk about, but I'm sure I'll have plenty more opportunities to learn more and reflect on the educational system here as I start teaching in the coming month.
I signed up to go to a co-ed high school in Cheongju since I am very interested in teaching at the secondary level and wanted to see a mix of genders. After about 1-2 hours on the bus, my group arrived at Hungdeok High School. The bus dropped us off, and we were greeted at the entrance by the principal and vice-principal, if I remember correctly. We were led into the school and asked to change into slippers for the rest of the day. Changing into slippers indoors is a common thing in Korean society. Bare toes in professional settings is considered rude, so I had on black socks to go with my black flats.
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| This is the really thoughtful and beautiful welcome sign that Hungdeok High School created for us! |
SCHOOL TOUR LED BY KOREAN STUDENTS
We were divided again into two groups for campus tours. Four Hungdeok high school students led us around the campus and showed us the Computer Lab, the Math Lab, and the English Lab rooms. They also showed us the attached dormitories, where, upon entrance, we were asked to leave even our slippers at the door. Koreans take the cleanliness of their floors seriously.
I walked next to the tour leader, a second grade high school student named Ji-Soo (quick note: grades here "restart" in every level of schooling. There are Grades 1-3 in middle school and same in high school, so Ji-Soo is actually not in the 2nd grade but in the 11th). She said she was interested in learning more English, and that she wanted to be a teacher someday. She was extremely shy. Every time I asked her a question, she would shyly cover her mouth with her hands and smile, and then uncover them and begin to formulate an answer.
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| The schools' temporary Fulbright ETA headquarters for the day. This is the site of our opening and closing ceremony, as well as the backdrop of photo shoots we had with administrators, teachers, and students. |
Most of our day was dedicated to shadowing a current ETA and the strategies she used to conduct one of her classes. Even though the school was co-ed, the class we ended up shadowing was only girls. They were all in uniforms, and on their desks were an assortment of things that amused me: cute pencil pouches, bright hair curlers, make-up, small blankets, and, on one desk, a can of Febreze. Somehow suspecting that the girls seated together were using it as a perfume, I asked them what they used it for.
Girls: Smell good.
Me: For you?
Girls: No, no. Whole class!
Me: [Laughing] Ah! That's good. Smelling good is nice.
We were given the chance to interact with them a little at a time, and I really enjoyed this part. I started from the back and asked as many rows of students as I could what their names were, attempted to read them myself when I couldn't tell, and inspired many giggles in my attempt to sound out the Korean names stitched in Hangeul on their uniforms. Good times.
Girls: What is your name?
Me: Mimi. My name is Mimi!
Girls: Beautiful. Beautiful name! Mimi, beautiful.
Me: Thank you
I was glad to hear their opinion of my name since I had been wondering if my name meant something in Korean, or could be associated with anything good or bad.
I forced myself to keep going around the classroom despite how difficult it was to leave each pair of students. They were very shy but, once approached, were quite communicative. I could tell their minds were on full-drive trying to come up with what to say back to me.
 |
| Each table had a plateful of delicious-looking and -tasting treats, a cute lion fan, and the day's itinerary. |
At the end of the day, a student gave us a presentation about the school in English. She must have been their top student because her pronunciations were spot-on. After this, the photo op.
AMERICAN FULBRIGHT ETAS BEING TREATED LIKE CELEBRITIES
I haven't taken as many photos since getting here because everyone else has been pretty enthusiastic in taking care of the photographing for me. Of course I shouldn't have relied on the others since I have no way of knowing if they're even actually going to give me copies of the photos later. That aside, we were treated like celebrities at the school and it seemed like everyone wanted a photo with us. The students who saw us at the hallway were amazed by our presence at their school, and some bowed shyly while others said enthusiastic hellos!
Based on a workshop on the Korean educational system I had sat in on yesterday, I was surprised that the students did not look haggard, or that they didn't have black circles under their eyes from stress and lack of sleep. I could write a different post about the Korean educational system for another day, but suffice it to say (for now, at least) that the workshop depressed me. At the same time, a powerful thought that had slowly been building up in the past week suddenly overcame me: love your students.
THE KOREAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
They are in school from 7 am-10:30 pm alternating between classes and self-study before going to their hagwons (or private tutoring places for various subjects). By the time that they finish their hagwons, they then do a little bit more studying on their own before finally going back home at around 3-4 a.m. Only to wake up a couple of hours later to start another day at 7 a.m....
Remembering this from the workshop helped explain to me why there were hair curlers, cosmetics, blankets, and even Febreze on the students' desks. They are there all day. All of them preparing for the one great test that will determine their futures and the course of their lives.
There's a lot here to talk about, but I'm sure I'll have plenty more opportunities to learn more and reflect on the educational system here as I start teaching in the coming month.
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