Troll_Bait
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: [T]eaching experience doesn't matter much. -Lee Young-chan (pictured)
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 Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 12:17 am Post subject: �Why Go to Private Cram School When School Is This Good?� |
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�Why Go to Private Cram School When School Is This Good?�
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Your correspondent was driving toward Daegu on the Guma Highway and exited at the Changnyeong off-ramp, before driving for 20 more minutes to get to Jangchon-ri, Ibang-myeon, Changnyeong-gun, South Gyeongsang Province. Jangchon-ri was called Ok-ya until the end of Japanese colonial rule, probably because it comprised expansive and fertile farmland. There were no private cram schools, internet cafes, or signboards to be seen. In this small village, the largest building is Ok-ya high school, which started as a commercial high school in 1967. In 2004, it became an autonomous school that was permitted to admit students from across the nation (In Korea, students can only attend schools in their school districts). As of March 2007, of the 120 freshmen, only 45 are Changnyeong natives. Now it is a rather prestigious school, attracting students from across the nation.
The dormitory is bigger than school itself. At Ok-ya, there is no school bell to be rung.
�Classes can run over-time when everyone is engrossed in their studies or they can finish early if everyone has completed their work. For this reason, we have no school bell,� explained English teacher Yoon Jong-min (40).
The school itself is a double-storey building, and there are three three-storey dorms. Of the 334 students attending the school, 297 live in the dorms, which have changed the students� lives.
No students in the school attend private cram school for further study. Instead, starting from 6p.m. students receive specially tailored tutoring from 29 teachers. On weekends, students can learn essays from their teachers if they choose to. The library, which closes at 2 a.m., is where all students study together, so they can help each other with any problems.
So far their hard work has paid off. Since the school opened in 2003, a number of students have gained admission into Seoul National University (SNU), the most selective university in Korea; one in 2003; two in 2005. In 2005, 103 students (the entire graduating class) were accepted into four-year universities. In 2007, 20 students were accepted into universities in Seoul, including SNU and Korea University.
�All you do is trust your teacher�-
Until the 1990s, even the school�s own teachers were reluctant to send their children to the school. The school board appealed to principal Hah Jong-moon (62), who took the helm in 2000, saying �We will give you our full support. Let�s make this school a decent one.�
The head teacher said, �I thought it important to create an environment where students want to study and teachers agonize over how to best teach their students; putting themselves in the parents� shoes.�
Eleven teachers voluntarily gave up their 30 pyeong residences (3-bed room apartment), provided by the school, for the building to be transformed into a female dorm. In 2005, the school granted 2 million won to each teacher to encourage them to prepare high-quality teaching material.
Municipalities have also extended a helping hand. Changnyeong-gun has provided a total of 800 million won over the four years since 2003, to be channeled directly into school facilities. All the parents have to pay is 280,000 won in quarterly tuition, 70,000 won in monthly dorm maintenance, and 2,300 won for meals; that�s all.
A parent named Jang Jae-seok (49. Chilwon-myeon, South Gyeongsang Province), who sent his son to the school, said, �My son�s performance is gradually improving and I don�t have to stress about money for private tutoring. I am now worry-free.� Students trust their teachers and it shows in their performance.
�In Seoul, we can�t catch up unless we go to private cram schools. Here, what we learn in school is good enough,� said second-year student Roh Hyo-ju, who graduated from a middle school in Daechi-dong, Seoul.
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