One of the reasons I haven't been posting much lately is I've felt really isolated. I don't want anyone to think I'm depressed over this, I'm not. I just haven't felt like I've found many of my kind of people here in S. Korea. So, I guess this post is really more about the fact that I miss the people I love to be around.
South Korea is a lovely country. Its countrymen are by and large generous, hospitable people. I find that they are stand offish with strangers and reluctant to befriend you or make commitments to you of time. This has made getting to know South Koreans a bit difficult. Thus, my pool of South Korean friends is limited to non-existent.
Then there is the population of foreigners here. They come from all areas of English speakers; America, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, and even India. For the most part, they are genuinely good people. They are kind, generous, open and fun to hang out with. Most of them are also pretty into the late night party scene, which is great for them, but not really my thing. I miss having a circle of friends to talk with, go to a play with, and explore something with. So, to all my lovely and wonderful friends in Washington, Idaho, and dotted about the globe, I miss you tons, even if you don't get a post on Facebook saying so. I genuinely long for some good company here, which I have found in my two good friends, but I need more of them. I will work on getting out more.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
H is for Hagwons
First, I know it's been a while, sorry. These have been floating around my head for a bit, just haven't felt motivated to put them on the blog...so here goes.
I work at a hagwon here in South Korea. For those of you who don't know what they are, they are traditionally after school academies to help students further their interests in science, math, language, etc. From what I understand from people I've talked to who grew up in S. Korea, hagwons were scarce until recently. They were only an option for those who wanted to advance a bit in certain areas.
This seems to be in contrast to their current usage here in S. Korea. Now, some hogwans still offer assistance further skills in a specific subject areas, but there are also English language hagwons everywhere I turn here in Pohang. I imagine it is the same with most cities here in S. Korea. most of my students in my afternoon classes attend at least 2 hagwons each day after school. Plus they have a sport and a musical instrument that they play.
This means that S. Korean children of the middle and upper class spend about 12-14 hours a day in education related activities before going home. Then they have to do homework. I wonder if any of them get to sleep even 8 hours a night. which brings me to the point of why I wanted to talk about hagwons.
Hagwons originally started as a good idea, extra support for children who needed or wanted it. Now it seems to be an extended day care service for busy parents who want trophy children. The sad part is that, at least at the hagwon I work at, the system of education seems to be rote memorization and regurgitation on tests. There is little room to teach critical thinking or intsill a love of learning.
So, you end up with worn out children, who have nervous breakdowns before their time. It's just not a good way to handle education. It pisses me off that a clueless Obama is heralding the S. Korean education system as an example to the US. The US is already well on its way to becoming like S. Korea with No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
I work at a hagwon here in South Korea. For those of you who don't know what they are, they are traditionally after school academies to help students further their interests in science, math, language, etc. From what I understand from people I've talked to who grew up in S. Korea, hagwons were scarce until recently. They were only an option for those who wanted to advance a bit in certain areas.
This seems to be in contrast to their current usage here in S. Korea. Now, some hogwans still offer assistance further skills in a specific subject areas, but there are also English language hagwons everywhere I turn here in Pohang. I imagine it is the same with most cities here in S. Korea. most of my students in my afternoon classes attend at least 2 hagwons each day after school. Plus they have a sport and a musical instrument that they play.
This means that S. Korean children of the middle and upper class spend about 12-14 hours a day in education related activities before going home. Then they have to do homework. I wonder if any of them get to sleep even 8 hours a night. which brings me to the point of why I wanted to talk about hagwons.
Hagwons originally started as a good idea, extra support for children who needed or wanted it. Now it seems to be an extended day care service for busy parents who want trophy children. The sad part is that, at least at the hagwon I work at, the system of education seems to be rote memorization and regurgitation on tests. There is little room to teach critical thinking or intsill a love of learning.
So, you end up with worn out children, who have nervous breakdowns before their time. It's just not a good way to handle education. It pisses me off that a clueless Obama is heralding the S. Korean education system as an example to the US. The US is already well on its way to becoming like S. Korea with No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
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