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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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 Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 1:45 am Post subject: Let's create a pilot school program together |
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My high school girls waste so much time "studying" ineffectively and inefficiently after classes that they have zero social lives. Most graduate high school with the social abilities of a Western 9th grade student. Many don't learn how to write an argumentative essay in Korean, much less in English. Sure, their Math scores are kick-butt awesome, however they have no chance to enjoy life in their teens.
I really pity them.
What Korea really needs is a pilot school where the students are taught by some really great Korean teachers, including some Western educators (people with education degrees -- not people like me).
As a part of the program, the parents will pay the salary of the foreigners while agreeing to exclude their child from any more than 2 hours of hagwon class per night. The money the parents save on tutors/hagwons will more than fund the salary of the qualified foreign teacher.
Also, as a requirement for taking part in this program, the parents and students must agree to allowing their child two to three hours of "play time" per evening to allow their children to do whatever they please: meet with friends, go shopping, play ball, etc.
Children should also be in bed no later than 11pm each night, when possible.
What do you guys think? What else would you do/add/remove? |
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guangho
Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Location: a spot full of deception, stupidity, and public micturation and thus unfit for longterm residency
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 3:54 am Post subject: |
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| Focused on practical situations with heavy emphasis on "doing"- minimal rote learning/memorization. |
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pollyplummer
Joined: 07 Mar 2005
Location: McMinnvillve, Oregon
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 4:46 am Post subject: |
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| This is an excellent idea. I'm not a real teacher either, nor do I enjoy it much, but I teach at a public high school with the same problems. They use the time so ineffeciently. I've had so many suggestions for them but they always say, "This is the way it is in Korea." They agree that it's not efficient, but nobody wants to tell the big guys so. Apparently, it would be disrespectful. This whole heirarchy thing really impedes change. But that's a topic for another thread. I think this is a most excellent idea, Derrek, but who could organize such an undertaking? |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 5:24 am Post subject: |
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| pollyplummer wrote: |
| This is an excellent idea. I'm not a real teacher either, nor do I enjoy it much, but I teach at a public high school with the same problems. They use the time so ineffeciently. I've had so many suggestions for them but they always say, "This is the way it is in Korea." They agree that it's not efficient, but nobody wants to tell the big guys so. Apparently, it would be disrespectful. This whole heirarchy thing really impedes change. But that's a topic for another thread. I think this is a most excellent idea, Derrek, but who could organize such an undertaking? |
In Korea, it wouldn't happen easily unless some really wild/reformist candidate (who could actually DO something) had enough backing. Until a lot of old boys in different gov't areas die of old age and/or are removed, there are too many hurdles.
Actually, I've been told that the gov't, under more authoritative rule outlawed hagwons maybe 10 or more years ago (not sure of the exact date). I was told that the gov't was disturbed by how much time and money was spent on the schools. Apparently, the attempt failed.
I have also read/heard that foreign schools are really kept from coming here. The Korean gov't is VERY anti-foreign entity control over the educational system in any way. Perhaps because they know there would be a mad scramble to get in, and many of the current "good ol' boy" networks of power would be marginalized, among other things.
Who could organize it? Well, so far such schools exist only in other countries: Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia, and I'm sure some Brits do too. It takes money to attend those schools, however.
Wouldn't it be interesting to see what could be accomplished if a pilot program of schools based on a Western model were implemented from Kindy on up? |
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pollyplummer
Joined: 07 Mar 2005
Location: McMinnvillve, Oregon
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 5:33 am Post subject: |
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Sometimes when I hear Koreans talking about their long hours at school and how hard they work, I feel like their school system is a cheap copy of Japan. They work long, ineffecient hours and it ends up not really looking like work.
Last edited by pollyplummer on Sun May 22, 2005 5:44 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Incognito
Joined: 20 Dec 2004
Location: Teacher centered hell!!!
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 5:39 am Post subject: |
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| guangho wrote: |
| Focused on practical situations with heavy emphasis on "doing"- minimal rote learning/memorization. |
Guangho, you hit the nail on the head...teachers using "student centered" teaching strategies would help these kids more than anything.
As for the school, I would like to nominate Derrek and pollyplummer to fully implement this wonderful idea! Any seconds?  |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 8:29 am Post subject: |
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Didn't the Korean gov. just open up "the market" to foriegn schools opening up over here?
I could have sworn it was the "big news" last fall but i didn't hear anything more about it. |
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PolyChronic Time Girl
Joined: 15 Dec 2004
Location: Korea Exited
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 9:24 am Post subject: |
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Good idea Derrek! I taught high school to a bunch of boys, and I thought that at any moment, they were going to snap! It's bad enought there were a couple of suicides at my school...both students jumping from the roof of the school. They are just overworked and go to too many damn academies. They need free time to really grow....parents really don't understand that social interaction and rest is just as, probably even moreso, important than just math and test scores.
How has your school/ administration/Koreans reacted to this idea? That I'm curious about. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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| A great idea. To work it would have to be owned by a Korean and run by Westerners who have lived in Korea. It could be run exactly like a good Western school, except with none of the BS that some teachers have to put up with in the West from juvenile delinquints. If you open one, please send me a job application. |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks guys, no plan in the works... this was just a dream I cooked up over a boring weekend.
I'm a believer that students should be allowed some playtime and more time to sleep. Sleep especially -- teens need more than adults! They don't get either here.
Also, my point was also that I couldn't work at such a school. I don't have the degree for it. I feel the school should employ only teachers with an actual teaching degree. My degree is in Communications with a minor in English.
Currently I work at a school, however, where our principal has her job because she's married to the founder's son (she has no degree relevant to being a principal), so I guess I'm not all that unqualified to teach at a Korean school (haha). |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
Didn't the Korean gov. just open up "the market" to foriegn schools opening up over here?
I could have sworn it was the "big news" last fall but i didn't hear anything more about it. |
You know, I remember some article about that, but I thought there were so many rules and red-tape applied that no one would bother. I think that basically most of the money made from it would be kept by Koreans, as they would be the ones sponsoring it and "in charge" or something like that. That or it didn't get passed.
I believe the answer was, "Ok, open a foreign school, but you have to do it the Korean way."
It kind of kills the point. |
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mack the knife
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: standing right behind you...
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 7:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| ....it would have to be owned by a Korean.... |
So somebody gets their Korean husband/wife to do the paperwork. No problem.  |
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Paji eh Wong
Joined: 03 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| As a part of the program, the parents will pay the salary of the foreigners while agreeing to exclude their child from any more than 2 hours of hagwon class per night. The money the parents save on tutors/hagwons will more than fund the salary of the qualified foreign teacher. |
Or, how about hiring a lot of korean teachers and get the class sizes down to 20 - 25 S. |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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guangho
Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Location: a spot full of deception, stupidity, and public micturation and thus unfit for longterm residency
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| Posted: Mon May 23, 2005 4:13 am Post subject: |
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Sounds like a great place. When I grow up and have a small shred of a clue what the hell I am doing in the classroom, I may just apply to them.
Also, check this site: http://www.selfmanagedlearning.org/ I think it's a great theory, but so many people are raised with others telling them what to do, it would be difficult to implement it.
The question here is wether Koreans would respond to a school like this. The kids have been told what to do their whole lives and I have a feeling that they would starve to death next to a bowl of rice unless someone handed them the chopsticks and said that they were allowed to eat. The parents, for the most part, have no real interest in education beyond placating their kids and getting rid of them for a few hours. Summer Hill sounds like a place where everyone- students, teachers, parents- have to WORK towards a goal, that being the goal of education. Is Korea ready for that? |
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