Right now my kids are completely frazzled! The middle school kids have midterms in a week and have been worrying about their exams for the entire month. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard, ‘Teacher! I so stressed!’ And they look it too.
So I’m writing this blog in my classroom with students who decided to stay late and get some extra studying in. I don’t mind staying late or coming in early for this, my classroom is so big and it’s way more quiet in here than in the designated study area, so...
It’s during test time that it becomes quite clear just how different American students are from Koreans. First of all, most middle school Koreans are in some kind of lesson from 8am to 11pm. Recently the President of Korea, Lee Myung-bak, decided to extend school hours to 5pm and there's been a resurgence of distain towards him. After school, some kids may go home for a snack, and then they all go straight to academy.
I’ve mentioned before that every student is in an English Academy, and normally at least 2 or 3 other academies. I’d guess about 80% of the students go to a science and math academy. Mr. Shin’s daughter, Julia, has English (of course) math, science, history, Korean, art and an instrument. Occasionally she’ll be signed up for a quick 1 month course on how to read Korean fast or something like that. This is typical for middle school students.
I work for Sky English Academy, and we have lessons from 1pm to midnight. My schedule is from 3pm to 9pm most nights, but I stay until 11pm on Thursdays. Apparently it’s ‘illegal’ to have academy lessons past 10pm, but I’m told that’s a recent law that isn’t enforced. It’s not uncommon for me to see a 12 year old kid waiting for the bus at midnight on a school night, which is slightly disturbing.
On top of this, these kids go to school every other Saturday. Oh, and did I mention, there is no recess either.
Beyond just schedule differences, American and Korean students are different in other ways. When I ask the standard patronizing question, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ 9 out of 10 kids will say scientists. Within the first month of my arrival, my sixth graders were giving 10-minute reports on D.N.A. in English. We spent a lesson or two practicing the difficult vocabulary and presentation styles. It’s really impressive how science-based this country is.
I’m not sure if it’s just my kids who are interested in science because I’m exposed to kids from wealthy backgrounds. I was aware that a lot of my kids look like they come from well-to-do parents, but it wasn’t until I took a tour with a co-worker that I found out most our kids come from a lot of money.
For example, I asked Nick what his father does and he told me he sells meat. I just thought that meant his father was a butcher or maybe a whole-seller, which surprised me because he definitely seems like he comes from wealth. I’m not sure how to explain it. He’s not snotty or anything, he’s humble and very talented, but he always exudes this air of being well cared for. I later found out that his dad owns 3 very successful restaurants in Andong and supplies the meat for most all other restaurants in town.
Many fathers are engineers here, either chemical or mechanical, and I have a fair few students who have lived in Canada or the U.S. with their families while their father’s participated in a work exchange program. I also have the children of professors, countless doctors and lawyers. I once asked a student what his father did and he used the nifty electronic dictionary every student has regardless of age, and pointed to ‘civil servant.’ I later learned he was a lawyer.
I’ve also taught kids who’ve lived abroad on their own under the age of 14. The level of commitment these parents show to their children’s education is frighteningly overwhelming.
I didn’t realize Mr. Shin owns Sky English Academy, I thought he was just the director. He has his Ph.D. in Management and Marketing, and I dare say he found a good niche with catering to affluent parents. It’s evident that economic problems are not limited to the United States, and we have experienced a drop in enrolment, but on a whole, parents are more likely keep their child in an English academy and cut back on other subjects if they are unable to maintain the cost of tuition. Sky also has a math academy, but Mr. Shin doesn’t own that portion.
This also explains why my salary is substantially higher than some of the other teachers in nearby academies. I know a handful of other foreign teachers now and I work less and make more than all of them. Who’d a thunk? I guess I lucked out.
I will say that, although luck does have a part in my tale, I turned down a number of job offers that were below my minimum requirement, and am oh so glad I did.
The academic year is also different here. It starts in March, and the kids get 3 weeks off in August and January. They still go to academy though. The little kids don’t have the same academic expectations their older siblings do. Most little boys take Taekwondo and I have a few students who take piano, violin, clarinet and ballet.
As you can imagine, this schedule doesn’t leave much free time, but on the rare occasion they have a moment to themselves, every boy will spend it in P.C. rooms. That’s where I went while my computer was sick, and besides being the only foreigner, I was often the only girl there too. It’s the primary way boys interact with their peers – they go to cyber cafes and play violent, linked video games with each other. That is their socialization. It’s a little disconcerting.
Most Koreans don’t enter the workforce until they’ve finished college, which helps explain why the average family only has 2 children. Only-children are also very common, though I do have a student who has 5 siblings. Just a couple of generations ago, Koreans had many children, because there was a greater need for manual labor, but as the country has industrialized, that need has reduced.
I’m not sure I would say one system is better than the other. As an American, I feel I received a fine education and am more or less prepared for the domestic workforce, but it’s clear American children (on a whole) are not being taught to contend against global competition. It’s obvious there’s no need for the U.S. to have the summer holiday it does. We are no longer an agrarian nation, there is no need to have more helping hands in the fields during the summer. But I’m not so sure the Korean way of educating is without flaw. Something I haven’t mentioned is the suicide rate amongst children, particularly during exam time. I have heard more than one story of children, no older than 15, jumping off a balcony together. The pressure these kids feel is very real and inescapable. But I suppose if they survive the gruelling challenge of puberty and high school, then they are destined to be the world leaders in science and technology.
On a completely unrelated note, one of my neighbors is playing music rather loudly (it’s nearly 3 am) and the person upstairs is expressing his/her displeasure by pounding on the floor. It’s oddly comforting since it reminds me of living with my dad. Awww, crazy Korean neighbors...
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