So, I'm living in this culture and learned a lot about the school system before I moved here but it dawned on me the other day that most people probably do not know much about it because they have no reason to study it. So, here's a little background to essentially the educational culture of South Korea that we have been thrown into.
There are two types of schools in South Korea: 1. Public School and 2. Hogwands (reminds me of Harry Potter). Hogwands are private schools that are also called academies. Parents pay a ridiculous amount of money to send their kids to these hogwands. I figure that they probably spend at least 40% of their income to send their kids to school. That's not fact, but just adding up some of the costs I figure it's at least that much. Honestly, it's comparable to some Universities in America.
Public schools start around 7am and get our around 3pm. They cover all subjects similar to American schools, but probably more focused, intense, and higher expectations of the students (more homework, etc). Many teachers that come to Korea through the Epik program usually teach at the public schools. Usually the foreign teachers are paired with the Korean teacher and they co-teach the classes so that the students have exposure to English.
Hogwands begin after public school, continue late into the night and are even offered on the weekends. Students go to public school and then to hogwands for the rest of the day. It's typical for elementary aged kids to be in school from 7am-8pm at night, have soccer (extra-curricular) practice, and then come home to hours of homework only to wake up and do it all over again. My 15-yr-old students told me today that they don't get out of school until 10pm, have homework, etc..you get the idea. The kicker for me is that the kids usually go to academy on saturdays and sometimes sundays as well. So, they are literally always in school. If you ask the kids what they do for fun, it takes awhile to come up with an answer.
So, this is the structure and because I work at a Hogwand, the competition is great. Parents are very picky about the education their kids receive because it is very competitive and they compare their kids to their friends' kids. If the parents aren't seeing results or do not like the style we're teaching, they can pull their kids out of our hogwand and transfer them somewhere else. So, as a teacher there is pressure to teach well and see the kids learn. In a couple of weeks we're doing a lesson demonstration for the parents to come and watch so they can see how we teach their kids. This is a good example of how involved they are. It's almost the opposite extreme of most American parents. It's interesting and intimidating all at the same time.
One of my kids last week (6th grade) was in a lot of stomach pain and he drew a pic on the board to explain to me why he hurt. he drew his stomach with red dots all over it. ha i'm pretty sure he had the chicken pox but even if he did, he would still have to come to school because missing academy is almost unheard of....even though the other kids and adult teachers are exposed to the sickness.
I feel bad when my students are exhausted and come to class. I realize that as kids, we had it good. We were able to be kids. I want to just have fun with them, but at the same time, I have to teach and they have to learn. The results are amazing. Korea is in the top percentile of almost every subject. The kids are geniuses and being able to speak English will take them and their country far, but it's hard to see their childhood robbed from them.
As a teacher, I realize that this is a real job. Our boss keeps telling us that this is a professional job as he tries to stress the importance of us doing a well and taking teaching seriously. I take it seriously anyway, but I feel very challenged to always be getting better. There's no joking when it comes to teaching and so I'm always looking for new teaching methods. At the same time it's very hard to implement them because I teach 35 classes a week and most of them have different students in them, so I'm preparing for about 25 classes and not just 1 or 2.
The mentality is that this school is a business and somewhere there is a balance between teaching like I'm an employee and teaching like I want the kids to know I care about them. I spend about five minutes at the beginning of class talking about life and how they are doing. It is starting to catch on but hopefully as time goes on, they will get used to responding to my questions. It will be a process to find that balance and I'm sure I'll be looking for it for the duration of my teaching time here in Korea.
I do enjoy teaching. My throat still hurts all the time from talking so much but I'm getting used to my classes and getting to know my students better. I think there are great things ahead and I'm excited to see how the Lord uses this to further their future and my own.
I feel my English deteriorating as I speak. I spend my time simplifying everything that when I try to use vocabulary, it's hard to find it. I speak without using articles, adverbs or adjectives. It's funny.
The kids get English names when they come to the English school. These names will follow them for the rest of their lives whenever they are in an english setting. So, when I get to help kids pick their names, I always suggest my friends' names haha...an inside joke with myself.
There's a class with a Tom and Jerry...i laugh every time. Also, that same class has a girl whose name is Perry. She's always late. So, I always ask "Hey, where's perry?!" bahaha no one gets it but me.
I always draw pictures on the board to explain new words...sometimes the kids end up more confused and they always make fun of my drawing. It's hilarious.
Some English teachers who help name these kids are straight crazy. They suggest names that aren't normal English names. There's a Dragon, Suah, Gun, CoCo, and even a Gain. Seriously...these poor kids.
Well, this is super long, but it's a glimpse into the job-aspect of moving to Korea. Let me know if you have questions!
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