Dear all,
I know that I have not updated in a while. I have not put up pictures in a while. Hopefully none of these pictures overlap with previous posts. Please enjoy them along with random thoughts that I have had so far...
- Anthony
Education in Korea
So most people already know that education in Korea is very intense. Having taught at school for 3 weeks and encountering bright (and not so bright) students, I began to think about the education system. Here are some facts that I see.
1. Students study a lot - A lot of my higher level students live in the school dormitory so that they can study more. Most students study in the evening in self-study class, a designated class where students must attend and they must do work/study. This is usually right before or after dinner time. I would say altogether students spend about 7 hours in actual class, and 4 more hours of compulsory self study. However, some students sleep in class and in compulsory self study. I would imagine to do the same if I were in forced to be in class around 6:00.
2. Students don't get a lot of homework - I have never heard any of my students say, "Teacher I have so much homework!". I don't think that teachers really assign homework. The life of the students is based on preparing for exams and assessments. This happens very regularly, probably at least 1 or 2 tests a week. This means that students can put things off for a while but then must cram before a test.
3. Students perform poorly on most national tests - Nationalized tests include Math, Korean, English + 2 or 3 elective portions that the students choose (Science, Ethics, Social Studies etc...)I have some students that test in the 80-90 out of 100 range. Most of my students test in the 40 to 70 range, with some scoring in the 20s.
So, in summation: Students have ample time to study and don't have daily assignments yet do poorly on national test. Why? I have a theory... involving teachers. More to come on this later. I should probably do some research before making wild, based on my hunch conjectures.
Korean Thanksgiving
This weekend is Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving. Its our autumnal harvest festival. Everything shuts down as people go to their hometowns in the countryside. A lot of families leave the bustling cities to visit their grandparent's or to the eldest uncle's house. I will be going to my maternal grandmother's house this weekend.
This used to be more socially enforced in the past, but I hear that a lot families do not upload this tradition of traveling to your ancestral home.
My dad's older brother came and picked me up yesterday after school to go visit my paternal grandfather's grave site. He came down earlier to avoid the traffic as traveling time usually doubles or triples this weekend. I went to visit my grandfather (who died before I was born), my grandmother (whom I can recollect but cannot recall her voice..), my grandfather's younger brother (died young without any heirs), my cousin (who passed away young) and my great-grandfather & grandmother. It was a sobering experience as their relatively unkempt graves reminded me of people I never really knew yet were so important in my life.
Afterwards, we went by my father's family's old home. It has been renovated, but the original shape is still in tact. It was funny to see some of the very, very old people who still live there. I met a 92 year old woman who treated my uncle as his wife as if they were babies. I was introduced as the one in America's son. They pretended to know who I was and greeted me very cordially. These people saw my dad run around when he was a child, and they have not moved. I don't want to say time has passed them by, but they really were living relics. They lived through WWII and years of Japanese occupation. Here they are now in one of the richest countries in the world, still plowing their fields. The world has changed, but their reality has not. They did make fun of some Seoulites who came to live down in the rural area only to find out it is not as relaxing as they thought it would be. I chuckled along with them as if I understood their lives. Haha.
Afterwards, we went by my father's family's old home. It has been renovated, but the original shape is still in tact. It was funny to see some of the very, very old people who still live there. I met a 92 year old woman who treated my uncle as his wife as if they were babies. I was introduced as the one in America's son. They pretended to know who I was and greeted me very cordially. These people saw my dad run around when he was a child, and they have not moved. I don't want to say time has passed them by, but they really were living relics. They lived through WWII and years of Japanese occupation. Here they are now in one of the richest countries in the world, still plowing their fields. The world has changed, but their reality has not. They did make fun of some Seoulites who came to live down in the rural area only to find out it is not as relaxing as they thought it would be. I chuckled along with them as if I understood their lives. Haha.
English Club Class
Every morning from 8:00 - 8:40, I teach an English club class for the more advanced students. I don't really establish a real lesson for this class; I just want to use English and have fun with the students. They are required to write an English diary everyday which I check during the school day and give back to them. I think this really helped me understand the lives of the students and what they are going through. They tell me all kinds of stuff. I like it. It is very fun.The students are also very responsive. As my face has become more familiar at school, I get approached more by the students to talk or just ask questions. The game of whether I can speak Korean or not continues to some degree. Most have figured out I can speak and understand, but don't know how much I can really understand. This is a fun game of cat and house that keeps them (and me) on their toes.
Another power that comes with being a teacher is that I can demand that students buy me ice cream. I have gotten two bars of ice cream this way. I didn't think it would work, but it does. I fear my newly discovered power. :)
I hope I didn't ramble too much. Nobody reads long posts anyway. Enjoy the pictures!
Getting ready to play Mafia
1st Grade Students waiting patiently
The game begins
I narrate, students listen.
Blood will be spilled
Making my face skinnier
Now it is night.
Police investigation. I'm not really sure if the students knew what the police was supposed to do.
Kill this one?
Students discuss and defend themselves!
I'm sorry, you're dead.
Strike while the iron is hot. End of story.
#3
A hair salon I saw in Jeongeup. Thought it was hilarious.
HUGE gummy cup things. Eric, Stephen, and Steven would have made some real bank off these in middle school if we had em. Haha.
The front yard of my father's old house
One of the 4 rooms in my father's old house
My father's old house!
My bus stop in the afternoon. I blend like a chameleon here.
A fountain in downtown Gochang. The fortress wall lit up in the back. :)
Same thing 3 seconds later.
Typical lunch at school.
Was waiting for the bus this morning when this BOSS rolled down the street in this vehicle trying to deliver some red peppers.
The view from my grandfather's grave site.
My aunt and uncle at the burial sites.
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