Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3 (Week 7)

Answers to this week's questions:

What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work?

Answer:
Poverty is a big issue here in Korea. It is not unusual to see my students wear the same clothing all week. 

What opportunities and/or requirements for professional development exist?

Answer:
Being that I work through an agency, I am required to take continuing education courses on-line and I really don't mind because I am currently pursuing my Master's Degree.

What are some of your professional goals?

Answer:
My professional goals are to complete my degree, and to continue to teach abroad so that I can learn as much about other countries as possible.  I have bucket list of things I want to accomplish before I retire and I am slowly working my way down that list.

What are some of your professional hopes, dreams, and challenges?

Answer:
My professional hopes and dreams are to learn to speak the Korean language fluently as well as to go into another country to teach and learn their culture.  I am currently researching that possibility; meanwhile my contract has been renewed to teach at my current school for another year.  The challenges I face are trying to help my children learn through scaffolded learning instead of by rote memorization as seems to be the way of teaching hear in Korea.

Additional information from Kaylee:

      Each province in Korea sets their educational standards. Then each school gets to interpret those educational standards and how they'll go about them. So standardization of education doesn't really exist except for national testing which happens in 6th grade, the final year of middle school and in high school (in order to get into college). To my knowledge there is no communication between preschool educator and public school educators. For the most part students stay at home until they are ready for kindergarten. Another option: students can stay in kindergarten for 1-3 years until their ready for 1st grade if they don't stay at home. Babysitting or preschool for students that are younger than kindergarten age is rare.

      For the most part, teachers teach to the test. It's important to note that in American classes, teachers use a more Socratic style of teaching. But in Korea, teachers literally say the information and the students memorize it and apply it the same exact way they learnt it, on their tests and homework. That constitutes "learning" in Korea. There's not much room for creativity or teaching to a student's strong suit (verbal, visual, audio, etc). Additionally, in America there is a strong focus on all subjects, especially writing, history, English. In Korea, the emphasis is more on science and math. Imagine teachers dryly spitting out this information and then students taking tests. They usually do pretty well if they have fantastic memories. But do they really know the material? Do the tests really demonstrate their aptitude and intellectual abilities? Where does critical thinking come in to play?

       In elementary school (prior to the national test in 6th grade) learning is much more lax. A lot of crafts, origami and music classes. It's important to note that a student's acceptance into a particular middle school is based on the results of their 6th grade national test. Students don't go to schools based on the jurisdiction or where they love. National test results come into play. Same goes for the exit test in middle school as it correlates to their high school placement. Then high school to college.

       However, when the prep for the national tests come around, memorization kicks up a notch. So essentially the students are not "learning," they're simply memorizing and regurgitating it. I've had a hard time undoing this type of learning in my own English classroom. The curriculums do not allow much for adapting lessons and materials to student's knowledge base. It is just assumed the student has learned the curriculum that was established for the previous year at their particular school and that they will memorize the information in the current curriculum.

       The Korean education system and education culture is a tricky one especially when kids get to high school. Students spend all day in school (8:30-3 or so) and then go to private academies for English prep, Math prep, music lessons, et cetera and then stay up until 9 or 10pm studying. Then go home and start it all over. However, are they really "learning"? I don't think so. They're memorizing. And simulataneously stressing themselves out. Which in turn results in Koreas high suicide rate, poor work ethics, and socially ineptness.