An American Educator in Korea Part 2 - "Born Into Focus"

Click here for Part 1 of "An American Educator in South Korea"

Month 3 of my stay in Gangneung, South Korea has come and gone. The first trimester was noted “The Impossible is Possible.” This upcoming trimester will be deemed “Let it Be.”

Obviously, the education system here is unlike any Western system, because South Korea focuses solely on achievement, the business and the face value of intellect. These children don’t play because they are busy laboring on activity they are expected to succeed in. Their future is determined; training is set and standards are high. If none of the aforementioned are met, it is defamation of family character, societal standards and values, which are not tolerable or accepted.

The children are bright. By far, the most intellectually inclined students I’ve ever had the privilege to teach. They prove that hard work pays off, because this culture reassures them that their education is the foundation for the future of their country. The American belief is geared towards the safety, concern, comfort and level of understanding. However, some students in America don’t believe they have a chance to succeed. This is due to the lack of parental involvement, home environment, and their level of certainty with themselves and peers. As an American educator, I preached every single day to my students that they can go anywhere and do anything as long as they worked hard. Of course some didn't want to work and constantly complained about the level of difficulty. However, if someone , other than their parents, believed they could achieve any goal, then it was mission accomplished! There may not be individuality in South Korea, but there is one goal working for this stern exactness, where is there is no room for failure.

Where individuality is absent, the knowledge of community, togetherness and are present. Complaints don’t exist, only agreement. A child will not tell a teacher there are problems at home, their vision is bad or the uniforms are ugly for that would be too much opinion. There is a recognized unison in this culture, especially the schools, because this is where the training for future success is built. This is a great thing, for the government supports all teachers, administrators and tutors, because the future of their country is of great importance. This philosophy must be implemented in our American educational system. Imagine the possibilities; the doors of success through optimistic attitudes will rise to the surface, smashing through negative situations.

On the other hand, this may be a bad idea, because these children don’t have the opportunity to fail, to learn by doing, to have fun, to use their imagination and freely discover their likes and dislikes. The American child will know their opinion matters. Here, if a child shows interest in art, that student will study every artistic discipline from elementary school through college. If a child shows interest in weight lifting, every physical activity will be studied extensively by this child and graduate with a degree in this field. They have interests, but are allowed to explore only one.

When I was a child, I LOVED reading, writing, dancing, playing, and painting. There was never a single focus on one subject, I was allowed a plethora of passions, and grew well rounded because of it. Here, they chose only one.

Each country has a system that works for them, and both have much to learn from one another. In South Korea, the strictness is a value. In America freedom to explore childhood is a must. What I would like to see in my America, are our children to know that they are the future. They can succeed in anything as long as they are focused. For Korea, I wish for the young to be given the gift of moderation, that they may find new interests within themselves, everyday. But who am I? I'm just their foreign English teacher. I didn't come to change the world; I came to share it!

I’m saying that both work well for their own culture. What I would like to see in my America, are my students, our children to know that they will not fail as long as they are focused. What I would like to see in this country, are the students to have more fun and learn that not everything in life is hard work. Here, the focus was born when they were.

An American Educator in South Korea

We welcome you to our new series! If you are reading this you have stumbled upon something truly special! Today we proudly introduce to you Maria Mataragas, one of our volunteers (you may remember her as the Fortune Teller at last years Halloween Romp amongst other roles.) We are pleased that Ms. Mataragas has agreed to let us into the life of a traveling education innovator!

Teacher is a position of highest value in all cultures. Every country and person around the world is shaped by the knowledge, passion and kindness of this special group of dedicated individuals! With the economy here in the states leaving something to be desired and less steady jobs available more and more of our recently graduated and young teachers are answering the call of duty in nations across the globe. The lure of steady pay and the adventure of travel can seem almost too good to be true

Maria is a passionate educator whose involvement in teaching has carried her from one side of the Earth to the other. She now makes her home in Gangneung, South Korea, bringing lessons she learned in the states and at the Museum to the upcoming generation of enthusiastic learners! Her love of innovative teaching techniques and hands on learning through engagement makes her a leader of a new generation of teachers! Maria will be contributing articles for us about education & culture. She will also be twittering for us, keeping us all up to date on what's going on in international education and answering any and all of your questions! Check her out www.twitter.com/MariaCME. Without further adieu, here she is!

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Education is of special value. Whether it is teaching a large or a small class, the key point of success in education is to have the students trust you. Once trust is placed, everything else is easy.

This is how I felt in America. I was a Title I Reading Tutor in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. The school I instructed was the most beautiful, well organized and above all, caring environment I’ve ever worked in. This school inspired me to become an educator. The love I feel for teaching was equally matched to the love I hold for traveling.

With the recession, my job for Title I Reading was cut. As I joined others for the enormous job hunt, many websites about teaching abroad jumped directly unto my attention. The itch for travel became stronger with every resume, cover letter and email I sent to companies, schools and other businesses. Finally, the decision to teach abroad was apparent. I applied. I got the job. I left.

I teach in Solol (straight pine tree of the sea) Middle School in Gangneung, South Korea. The school is very professional, very strict with guidelines for students to abide. Guidelines such as uniforms, hair length, types of glasses and shoes are targeted and must be followed. Individuality and expressing oneself through creativity is prohibited. Studying for the purpose of exams is education according to my school. If a student breaks the rules punishment is physically severe, something which an American parent would never tolerate.

Korean students have a mounting pressure put upon them due to competitive reputations. South Korea is a community based country; everything is done together and shared. Every family name is known in this association of people and neighborhood. If a child succeeds or fails, the reflection is upon the parent’s ability or inability to provide for their child’s education. The only way to prevent their reputation from being tarnished in the community is to send their children to private schools until the late evening. For example, my students come to school at 8 a.m., stay for an after-school program until 4:30 p.m., then go to a private school for each subject that they are not passing. They don’t go home until 11:30 p.m.

I’m an American and I know what it’s like to be a child and get dirty with scraped knees. That is the spirit of being a child. American children are allowed to run wild with their imaginations, get paint on their cheeks and have gum stuck in their hair. Being a teacher to American children means I get to understand them more, help guide them to achieve any dream they want, as long as they know they can do it. Being a teacher in South Korea, the freedom to choose, the freedom to express, the freedom to get dirty and get to understand the children is not entirely there, because their future is already molded for them. These children are only allowed to study and work. From an American point of view, their childhood is taken away from them; however from a South Korean point of view, their future is being built.