Top Five Things I’ve learned while Teaching in Korea: Disillusions
With all of my idealistic and self-development thoughts I try to teach the kids not only the material for my classes, but also the life-long goals they can learn. Essentially, I don’t want them to make the mistakes I made. It reminds me of the quote “Experience is the best teacher.” There are what I have realized in the last three years in Korea the following:
1) Creativity is taken out of them - I’ve read several surveys on the internet about how creativity dies a gradual and painful death in elementary school. There is an excellent TED speech by Sir Ken Robinson titled Schools kill Creativity and I whole-heartedly agree with him. The presentation is a quick overview about creativity and education. Korean students creativity seems to be accelerated through the use of cram schools beginning in elementary school. I’ve seen fourth graders getting off of academy buses at one am in the morning near my apartment complex. Its really a sad thing and I’m coming to grips that I can’t help the masses, but maybe
one or two at a time.
2) Thus, Korean Students Lack Creativity - Its annoying and painful to read the same essays about Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, and the like. No offense to those great people, but these kids need to learn about a diverse array of people. However, the paradigm of math, language, and science are the best have been blown way out of proportion here. I’ve been trying to teach my kids to write, think, and read creatively and critically, however this is easier said than done. As for the best way: give them a framework, thorough instructions, and repeat it to them multiple times. After that take baby steps to teach them about creativity. Most of the time I still can’t get through them. The ones that are creative end up being ostracized and considered as a loners. It’s a total catch-22.
3) Its hard to motivate Korean students - I’ve used all kinds of techniques to try to motivate students: from trying to studying the underlying principles of motivation (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) to using money/bribing in my classes. Unfortunately, the quickest and most effective way is fear. For example, punishing physically (old school Korean system), humiliation, or the phone call to parents (which doesn’t work if the parents are apathetic). My idealistic and teaching via love and passion doesn’t seem to work well, especially if they don’t care about the subject (English, Critical Reading, and Writing). I’ve come to the conclusion my method of teaching is not ready and that I’ll have to conform or leave. I chose leaving. That’s where the whole entrepreneurial thing comes in.
4) Structure short term goals that correlate with long term goals - My new technique for the time being while I have to continue to be a teacher is this. Create these short term goals that hopefully add up to greater longer term growth.
5) Peer pressure is very effective - Koreans like to be homogenous. Anyone who has been to Korea or knows “Korean-Koreans” know this. They don’t like standing out of the pack and if they do they are again ostracized. Knowing this you can use it in your classes to encourage or manipulate them to be better.
As I write about this I find that I need to teach myself these things and its just not the Koreans, I hope I’m not the only one who needs this information. I hope this concoction of thoughts inspires and gives some useful ideas.
Peace be with you,
~Hoo
Photo: http://flickr.com/photos/mafuyou/
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hello!!
i don’t know can you remember me or not.
i am a mother one of your students in korea so i agree with the thoughts and what are those mean.
i want to say …my son and my husband and i know that how great,kind,innocent teacher you were. how useful the website that you made for your students. i still use …
i wish you keep some good memories.
(i’m sorry for my english)