(Class, this is not where we are now.)
- Seoul (April 24-26)
- Kunsan, via Daejeon (April 26-29)
- Back to Daejeon (April 29-May 1)
- Seoul sightseeing (May 2)
- Ganghwado island sightseeing (May 3)
- Golf (May 4)
- Visit to the International School (May 5)
“My friends don’t teach English, they teach in English. That is, they teach English Literature and Social Studies at an English-language international school in Korea.”
I had to explain this several times when I told other friends and relatives that I was visiting my friends Justin and Nana (link to their blog) who are teaching in Korea. As many of you are aware, it’s become quite common for Americans and other native English speakers to get jobs teaching English to Koreans. It’s a simple supply-demand equation: there’s a huge, limitless demand for English language instruction in Korea, and there’s a very limited supply of native English speakers who are in Korea or are willing to move to Korea.
Young recent college grads tend to take these jobs and make the leap overseas: they’re relatively easy to get, the pay is not bad, and it’s a serious adventure. All of this is to explain why even I thought that, when I heard that my college friends Justin and Nana were going to Korea to teach after they got married last summer, I assumed they were teaching English, just like all the other expats I had met during my previous trip.
I eventually learned that, as I mentioned before, they’re not teaching English, but they are teaching other subjects at this international school in Seoul. Naturally, I was fascinated by what kind of school this might be, as it seems that nearly every conversation I have with Koreans tends to drift to the subject of their rather strenuous education system (link to previous blog post on the subject). And you can imagine my enthusiasm when, after meeting them for dinner during the first part of my trip, they invited me to visit their school and observe their class!
Needless to say, I was super stoked. A school in Korea run entirely in English? With American-style curriculum? What is this, bizarro world?
Not exactly. Let me try to give the run-down on the nature of this school and why there’s a need for such a thing. Since it’s an “international” school, not just anyone can attend. Students must meet one of three criteria to be eligible for admission:
- At least one of their parents holds a non-Korean passport
- The child holds a non-Korean passport
- If neither of the above are true, if the child has attended school outside of Korea for at least five years
From what I gather, students have been placed into this school for two primary reasons: 1) they want the obvious benefit of being in an English immersion environment and 2) they are essentially opting out of the mainstream Korean education system.
The second point is an important one. Though Americans often marvel at the wonders of education in Asia as demonstrated by international math and science achievement scores that tend to trounce those of America, the sad truth is that education in Asia, or at least in Korea, is deficient in many serious ways. Based on what I’ve heard and read, pedagogical methods emphasize rote learning and memorization instead of critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. Lectures are the norm; open ended classroom discussions are rare. Students get locked into specialized tracts as early as middle school. And there’s the relentless pressure and competition which drives many students (literally) crazy.
This school, the Asia Pacific International School, was created to counter all of that with, surprise surprise, American-style education. The curriculum is based on the California school system, and the text books were the familiar McGraw-Hill fare that I grew up with. Problem solving, creativity, and open discussions rule the day. Apparently, “hands on” projects like these Boston Tea Party boats are unheard of in Korean schools, but in Nana’s, er, rather, Ms. Massie’s classroom, they’re an integral part of the curriculum:
It’s a simple concept, really: a well rounded, comprehensive, balanced educational environment is the best way to prepare young people to be flexible adaptive learners who in turn will be the most prepared to succeed in a constantly changing twenty-first century globalized world.
What about the students? I was surprised by how well they spoke English, but there was clearly room for improvement. Some of them spoke English very comfortably, while others spoke with thicker accents and more problematic diction. When I listened in on a class discussion of the novel they were reading for English Literature class, I heard this exchange:
Student 1: [The character in the novel] probably felt useless.
Student 2: What does that mean?
Student 1: Useless. ?? ??. (Pil-yo-ob-soh, which means “not needed” in Korean.)
Student 2: Ahh, ????. (Yoo-ssuh-lae-ssuh, basically, “useless” with a thick Korean accent.) I get it.
I got a kick out of that one. Student 2 clearly knew the word “useless,” but couldn’t understand it when he heard it spoken with Student 1′s natural English accent.
I could go on and on about the experience, but if you’re really interested in learning more about the school, you should get it straight from the teachers at their well-written and well-titled blog, School of ROK. Overall, I was quite impressed by the school’s audacious mission, by the quality of education my friends Justin and Nana were providing, and by the fact that they were indeed surviving and thriving in a place so far from home.
In a way, I was a little jealous. I wish I could have done that when I had my chance four years ago, but it wasn’t meant to be. I had to bail after three tough months; they’ve signed on for another school year, and I wish them all the best. I know how hard it is to be so far away from home, friends, and family, even while you’re having an adventure beyond what most people can imagine.
Lastly, the group shot: here we are, three Americans in an international school in Korea, all of us separated from our homes by all of that blue on the map:
It’s a good thing we know how to pose Asian style for photos, just like my niece:
They’re not gang signs. At least not to my knowledge.