The Korean School System...the good, the bad, the crazy

So, I had a request from my friend Ali to devote one blog to the Korean education system and how it is different from America. Sounds great! It's been pretty routine here this month, so I was struggling to think of a topic and that is a good one because the Korean school system is SOOOOO different.

Where to begin? I guess I can talk about the relationship between teachers and students and how much less defined it is in Korea. Students are extremely respectful of their teachers for the most part. Traditionally, being a teacher was one of the most highly regarded professions and a child was to give a teacher as much (if not more) repect as they would give their parents. Although teachers are not treated as well as they were many years ago, they are still very highly regarded.

Teachers in Korea can cross a line with students that would never ever be acceptable in America. Many times I will see male teachers playfully wrestling with their male students, but to the point where they are lifting them over their shoulders and dropping them on the ground. Its actually quite nice to see that they can take more of a role model position outside of the classroom with out having to worry about getting too close or making students uncomfortable. They just don't have those issues here. Then, there is another side to the teacher-student relationship, which is punishment and discipline. Until a few years ago it was perfectly acceptable to physically punish a student by hitting or whipping. Today, it is more likely to make a bad student stand with their hands over their head or against the wall for an extended period of time. But, physical discipline still happens! As much as I think my co-teacher is a wonderful woman, I was shocked and sickened on one occasion to see her wail a kid on the head and throw him to the ground. Granted, he was a very, very bad student, but I believe that it is not ever acceptable to hit a child.

In general, school is much more intense in Korea, too. From the 3rd grade students take national standardized tests, and they have a lot of pressure from their parents and their teachers to do well. They take studying very seriously, so anyone who can afford to goes to a private academy after school to do Math, Music, English, etc. Many students miss out on doing kid things because they are constantly studying. Overall, I would say that Korean students are well-behaved, happy and respectful, but unfortunately they have a lot of pressure from a young age. Add to that they have to go to school on Saturday! That's right, school is open 2 Saturdays of the month. Lucky for me, they know that western cultures don't do that, so our contracts stipulate that we don't have to go in on Saturday.

Maybe I sound negative about the Korean school system, but I actually feel that there are so many ways that its better than the American school system. In Korea, teachers have a respectable career, are paid well, and don't worry about crossing the line with their students. They also don't have to worry about verbal or physical violence from their students because that is rare. Being a teacher here is great. Especially as a foreign English teacher, its a wonderful job and I'm so happy going to work everyday. Occasionally things happen that are not the way I would like them to be, but thats when I just have to remember that phrase..."Welcome to Korea!"

P.S. Last weekend I went to the Busan Fireworks Festival and it was unbelievable!!! There were 1 million people and the fireworks were probably the best in the world...check out this youtube video, which is awesome, but doesn't even do it justice!

Busan Fireworks Festival: http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=9yA7C1t8BUc&feature=related

one million people waiting on Gwangalli Beach

Fireworks over Gwangalli Bridge

First trip out of Busan...

Last weekend we had three days off due to Korean Foundation Day, so my girlfriends and I decided it was finally time to get out of Busan and start seeing this country we live in. We wanted to choose a place that wouldn't be difficult to get to, as it was our first experience with public transit, so we took a 50-minute bus ride north to the city of Gyeongju. Gyeongju is known as the most historical city in Korea, as it was the capital of Korea during the ancient Silla dynasty, and when I saw pictures of it, I knew I had to go. The city is strewn with tombs of ancient kings, in the form of gigantic grass humps popping out of the ground. It looked unlike anything I'd ever seen, so I was really eager to check it out.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and easily found the Hanjin Hostel, which had been recommended in all of the travel guides due to its nice accomodations, great location, and crazy/eccentric owner, Mr. Kwon. When we got there, we were happily suprised. The hostel felt more like the home of some Korean grandparents...in a good way. They showed us to our large room with three queen-sized beds, which was through a back courtyard where we were told we could hang out or "have party" at night. The room was very uniquely decorated; a quilt of the last supper hung on one wall, while a massive painting (at least 5 feet long) of deer was on the other side, along with other asian decor through out. We decided to venture off right away, so Mr. Kwon gave us maps and brochures and pointed us off in the direction of the recommended sites. The first was Tumili Park which is regarded as an outdoor museum because of the many tombs, one of which we were able to go inside of. We then walked south to an ancient observatory, then to a beautiful temple in the middle of the city that is lit up at night. When we finally finished four hours later, we stumbled upon a little Korean restaurant where we were served pork and cabbage stew, which ended up being the best meal I've had in Korea yet. We went back to the hostel and made friends with some German PhD students, but called it a pretty early night so we would be ready for day two.

The next morning we woke up at 10 and found a restaurant that served western breakfast, yum! We decided to rent bicycles because Gyeongju is supposedly the only city in Korea where you can safely ride bikes (Busan is definitely not safe to ride in anyway). We headed off to Mt. Namsan Park because my travel guide said "riding bikes in Namsam park is the perfect way to spend a day in Gyeongju." We arrived in about 30 minutes and stopped to check out some ancient thing in the ground that was once to be used to play drinking games (I don't know how else to descibe it). Anyway, we decided to purchase rice farmers hats while there, so that we could "truly expience the history of Korea." Haha, no, actually we just thought it was funny. We then decided to continue our bike ride around the park, but soon discovered that its called Mt. Namsan Park because its on a mountain! It was full on mountain biking up steep, rocky terrain. So, we parked the bikes, and went for a little hike and then got back on our bikes and headed back towards Gyeongju to explore. It was a hilarious afternoon, but also very tiring. We went back to the hotel around 4 pm to take a nap, and then hopped on the bus and took a 30 minute ride out to a famous temple, called Bulguksa. At the temple, we wandered around until dark and then found a traditional Korean restaurant nearby. We went home exhausted, but happy at how great our first adventure in Korea turned out.

After our long weekend, I thought this week would be so slow, but its actually gone by so fast! I am really enjoying teaching and although I'm tired sometimes, I never dread going to work or teaching a class. I'm having a lot of fun with the kids, and my confidence in creating and giving lessons has really increased. I now teach first grade by myself four times a week, and I really like it. I have a good system down, and I've found games that are fun and exciting for the kids, but very easy for me to plan and do in class. This weekend, I don't have any definite plans, but there are a bunch of festivals going on in Busan, so I'm sure I will check some of them out. The Pusan International Film Festival will be ending, there is a global culture gathering downtown, and the Jagalchi Fish Market will have a festival. Should be fun! Well, that's all I can think to say for now... annyonghe keysayo!!