Korean Job Discussion Forums

itaewonguy · Joined: 25 Mar 2003

We all know what a korean childs life is like!
we all know what korean children dont get to enjoy!

is this because foreigners put a higher importance on childhood memories and being a child? or is that foreigners just care more about the little things!?
where koreans just seem to obsess with education! no time for friends and playing! so a koreans childhood memories will be
ummm MATH CLASS! ummm yes I think I went to ART class for a while too! english hakwon! science , dingle dingle!

what you guys thing?
do foreigners care more about the childhood?

peppermint · Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 2:27 am Post subject:

Most of us are teachers, and deal with kids on a day to day basis. Teachers who deal with 60 or a hundred kids are in a much better position to understand them as a group than the individual parents are.

Homer · Guest

That really depends on what you mean by childhood I-guy.

As for us teachers being in a better position than parents to understand kids as a group that is true when it comes to school life. However, what happens outside of school is a completely different ballgame....

My only direct experience here is with my nieces and the other kids in my wife's family.

The very young ones (kindie to mid elementary) have fun..a lot of it and sometimes get spoiled.

As they get older (late elementary and middle-high school) they study pretty hard and have decreasing time for just idling around. Then agin, once they reach university (those that do) they have a lot of fun... Laughing

Do western kids get better childhoods.....I would say it depends on a lot of things.

nautilus · Joined: 26 Nov 2005 Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!

A good childhood to me requires living somewhere with plenty of space to run around. Rivers to swim in, trees to climb etc. Pets: dogs and cats, and plenty of sports, etc. Somewhere like Australia or Canada.

Not studying or playing starcraft all day!!

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

I believe a lot of these kids do actually have a good time in academy classrooms as well.

They can have some fun with the small groups and make good friends.

I see some kids though, and you know a soccer pitch or playground would be time better spent for them.

Also, we might consider that what we think a fun or good childhood is, is viewed differently here, another culture. Is a child missing out from not experiencing what other kids in some other cultures experience? Maybe not, since the other cultures are as foreign as the languages.

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

It seems to me that Confucianism takes control over certain kids' lives. Yes, he is the first-born, but he is also a *beep*-off that doesn't give a shit about learning anything at this point (maybe later he changes-who knows?).

Also, what's up with every family having 1 boy (first) and 1 girl?
(I know its not exclusive, but if you haven't noticed this propensity you're blind).

Stifling the younger, and perhaps more promising offspring, in the interests of protecting one's retirement. It is a poor system in my opinion.

sadsac · Joined: 22 Dec 2003 Location: Gwangwang

As a parent, I would hope that my daughter's memories of her childhood are not only of going to school, coming home, going to hagwoons, coming home, doing homework until 0100 and then getting up at 0600 and starting all over again, six days a week. I do believe that we allow our children to at least be children, not education junkies. Smile

Ody · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: over here

i voted yes.

.

itaewonguy · Joined: 25 Mar 2003

diver · Joined: 16 Jun 2003

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

Man, you don't know.

I worked at a high school for a year, and part of the test at the end was "who is in your family"? Guess what!!??!~! Just what I had pointed out, and at least 90% fell in to that exact mold. Weird, huh??

What happened to the other babies, do you think?

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

And before you call me on the "high school" 1 year thing, I'l say that that was the only time I thought Korea was beautiful;.

diver · Joined: 16 Jun 2003

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

Apparently not, little camper Very Happy

periwinkle · Joined: 08 Feb 2003

I voted yes, too. The only thing that I can think of that Korean kids are especially lucky with is that they get out of doing chores. When I was growing up, I knew kids that had to get up at 4am to milk the cows. Couldn't go out much, either, cuz they had to help dad on the farm. I don't know if that happens much here (don't know any Koreans that grew up on a farm, or had to help with family business, for that matter).

Also, they don't work (some Korean kids do have jobs- it's just not as common to see this compared to back home). I knew 13 yr. old kids with paper routes, and again, some of them had to get up way before dawn!! In h.s., almost everyone had a part-time job. Here, mom and dad buy whatever you want (within reason). I'm not placing value judgements on either culture- just pointing out differences.