A Few Observations

Before coming to Korea, I was told that a typical Korean teenager’s life is very different from a typical American teenager’s life. As I work with Korean high school students, these differences become more and more noticeable. My high school students have been working on a “Dream Job” unit. At first, I wasn’t sure if this unit would be appropriate for the first year high school students, but I was very encouraged to hear, from my co-teacher, that this unit is perfect for them because they are so busy studying that they don’t have time to daydream about their future. The students are making posters in which they have to explain their dream job, the reasons why they want the job, their personal strengths, and steps they must take to achieve their goal. As the students were writing about the steps they must take to achieve their dream job, I noticed that all of the students focused on studying hard, passing exams, and going to a good university. These steps are important; however, everyone focused on studies even when I showed them a personal example in which only one of my three steps had anything to do with studies. In order to get a good job and have stability, students in Korea must do well in high school, have good exam scores, and do well in the university. I have been told that when colleges are looking at applications, they focus solely on grades; whereas, in the United States, grades are important, but schools also place a high priority on extracurricular activities, volunteer work, jobs, etc.

I have also noticed how generous and giving my students are. My students are constantly giving me candy, chips, etc. Even if I don’t want what they offer, I accept it with a smile because I know that this is a method of expressing their feelings. They also want to teach me everything about Korea. Getting to know my students on a deeper level has humbled me. The phrase “life-long learner” is cheesy, but teaching has shown me how true and important this motto is. Even though I have more education and more life experience than my students, they teach me something new everyday. Although teaching is very challenging and exhausting work, it is an extremely rewarding job.

Sung-Sang-Nim (Teacher)