Korean Job Discussion Forums

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Korean Students Prefer American School Teachers
Donga.com (January 11, 2008)
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2008011170178

PeterDragon · Joined: 15 Feb 2007

There seems to be a hint of a fallacy here--- that kids should determine what's best for themselves. Really, it's the parents opinion on which schools are best that should hold the most weight.

Having said that, I know a number of Korean parents who would prefer to send their kids to school in a Western country if they could because they feel the overall quality of education is better there. In fact, my co-teacher is hoping her husband's company can transfer him to Australia so she can send her two young daughters to school there. My recruiter who set me up with this job is a Korean living in Los Angeles, along with his Korean wife. He's said similar things about his son's welfare--- how glad he is that his son got to go to American schools.

The reasons parents cite have a lot to do with quality over quantity. Many parents I meet say they don't want to send their kids to 5 to 8 hours a day of Hagwon classes, but feel forced to do that to give their kid any sort of edge in their college prospects. There's a growing sentiment that forcing a kid to learn for that many hours a day simply burns the kid out. The fact it's costing them millions of won a month probably adds to their dissatisfaction considerably.

caniff · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Location: All over the map

Bibbitybop · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

At first, I thought this was going to be a thread about "Americans" vs. "Canadians," or "Americans" vs. "Everyone else."

But given the reasons suggested by the article and the higher level of individualism in Korea, I'd choose American schools over Korean schools for my hypothetical kids any day.

Oh, and don't forget the benefits of the microbreweries and drug culture the Korean students take so kindly to in the USA and other countries. I'm sure the kids start realizing there's more to live than soju and bad Korean beer.

mistermasan · Joined: 20 Sep 2007 Location: 10+ yrs on Dave's ESL cafe

i am old enough that we still had some nuns in my elementary school. we also had lay teachers.

some of the nuns were too violent, both physically and verbally. this inclination to beat/berate overshadowed any actual learning that filtered through the intimidation.

leaving sister mary beat-you-down's class and going into mrs. normal person's class was like going from the depth of winter to a sunny, spring day in a second.

sounds like i can empathize with the korean kids.

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

In the USA, you have to pick the school system based on where you live. You don't want to live in the projects, for obvious reasons, but also because no good teachers want to work there. Can you blame them? Unmotivated students, drugs and guns in schools, apathetic parents who grew up expecting government hand-outs -- no need to go on.

spliff · Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand

I agree w/ Korean students. Very Happy

Scotticus · Joined: 18 Mar 2007

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

The truth is American schools are easier and kids can slack off. Plus there are no hakwons. But most Koreans think "America is an advanced country, so they probably take education more seriously than we do." Of course, to a Korean exchange student going over there, they would have their own ESL instructors and extra workloads, unlike regular students.

cbclark4 · Joined: 20 Aug 2006 Location: Masan

What schools did these students attend?

Phillips Academy and The Groton School?

http://www.andover.edu/

http://www.exeter.edu/

http://www.groton.org/home/home.asp

I think the asian attendees are +50% at the Groton school.

jvalmer · Joined: 06 Jun 2003

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Atavistic · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:40 pm Post subject:

jvalmer · Joined: 06 Jun 2003

Unposter · Joined: 04 Jun 2006

Don't forget that their is more than one kind of student, more than one kind of teacher and more than one kind of school. Some students study hard, have good teachers and have excellent schools. Others do not. It is far too simplistic to say that things are "easier" in the West.

What is different in the West, in my opinion, is that we have a lot more freedom to decide how much we want to study and what we concentrate on in our studies. Some people do minimums and some people do a lot more. Of course, in some sense, that is what Korean hakwons are for, voluntary additional study. The difference is the social pressure to participate.

There are obviously two main problems with Korean education. The first is that it is hyper-competitive. The second, a corolary (sp?), is that when things are hyper-competitive, people see reasons to cheat. In this type of environment, developing connections, lying, cheating and corruption are seen as advantageous qualities. Though we often transpose those qualities on successful people in the West. The successful person must have cheated or has a bad character or is not happy thus justifying our lower status.

Anyway, most culture shock is also a by product of competitiveness. Koreans are always competing with us and our countries and it can make one defensive. We start to look for little ways to belittle Koreans as we feel they do the same thing to us or our countries.

But underlying this blind competition, is the Korean desiere to escape. You got to love them for it.