Korea Week 3

Mon. 7/15

After class this morning, we visited Gimhae Foreign Language High School.  This visit was also arranged by Gyeongsangnam’s Office of Education.  It is a special (and beautiful!) school and was established by the Office of Education in partnership with the city of Gimhae.  It is special in that it is a public school so it only requires a low registration fee from students but operates as a magnet school, only admitting the highest academically achieving middle schools students who apply to go here.  Typically this type of selectivity and high academic rigor are characteristic of private schools, which of course usually require a hefty registration fee.  This school reminds me of Thomas Jefferson High School in a way.  But since it is a magnet school and students are admitted from various parts of Gimhae, all students stay in school dormitories on school grounds. 

The students at Gimhae Foreign Language High School can take English, Chinese, or Japanese, and each of those language classes are taught only by native speakers.  There are three native English teachers and I believe one native Chinese and one native Japanese teacher.  We had the opportunity to stop in on all three native English teachers’ classes.  The teachers were covering topics such as themes and author’s voice in literature.  The classes reminded me of how we approach teaching language in Fairfax County – teaching English through content.  Unlike in the other schools we have observed so far, here the classes are not team-taught with one native teacher and one Korean teacher – it is only the native teacher in the classroom and all instruction is in English.  Also, this school makes a special effort to keep the class sizes smaller compared to other public high schools at no larger than 20.  That’s a huge difference compared to 40 students per class typical of other high schools!   After the classes ended, we had the chance to sit down and speak with a few of the students.  While a little shy at first (of course!) they eventually opened up and we discussed various topics relating to their experience here as a high school student and how it compares to other high schools in Korea as well as in America.  It was definitely a very enjoyable and educational visit!     

While I think having this type of high quality school available as a public school option provides a fantastic opportunity for students, as another teacher here at Geongwon High School pointed out, many of the students who end up being accepted to Gimhae Foreign Language School have either had private schooling before or have lived abroad at some point in their lives.  This teacher indicated that many of the students who receive their elementary and middle school education through the public schools are often not adequately prepared to access the type of instruction offered at the foreign language high school.  I told her that these kinds of opportunity gaps exist most everywhere… 

Tues. 7/16

After classes this morning we visited Changwon Science High School.  This was our last school visit arranged by the Office of Education during our time here.  Changwon Science High School was set up and functions similarly as Gimhae Foreign Language High School, except that the students spend most of their class time in math and science classes rather than language classes.  At Changwon Science High School the students also have to apply and interview to get in, it is a public school with a low registration fee, the facilities are beautiful, students live in dorms, and the class sizes are smaller.  The number of students at this school is less than at Gimhae, however, at only about 200!  We had the opportunity to observe one of the English classes taught by a Korean English teacher.  There was definitely a little more Korean spoken during this class compared to yesterday J but the topic of the class was quite advanced – utilitarianism.  This school does employ one native English teacher plus two Korean English teachers. 

I forgot to take pictures yesterday at Gimhae Foreign Language High School, but here are a few from Changwon Science High School.  Both schools look and feel like universities, that’s how nice the facilities are!

Changwon Science High School

Inside the school

Student dorms

Here is the English class that we observed.  They are all using dictionaries!  Now if only I could get my students to do the same… J

Here are the students who led us on a tour of their school:

Here are some pictures from the math and science wing:

A math classroom

One of two observatories

They have a scanning electron microscope!

 These school visits over the past two weeks have been very interesting for me as an educator.  It helps to gain a little perspective and insight on how schooling is approached and set up in different countries and cultures, especially as an ESOL teacher.  It is always useful to be able to experience firsthand what kinds of school experiences my students may be coming to my classroom with.

Wed. 7/17 – Fri. 7/19

So classes have continued about the same the rest of the week, with a few special ones here and there.  In a few of the classes, instead of giving my presentation, groups of students actually gave presentations to me about different topics that they chose relating to Korean culture and history!  It was a nice change of pace and also really interesting.  Some of the topics included fashion, money, and K-pop.  Also, I had the chance to co-teach a lesson with one of the English teachers.  It was fun and the students really enjoyed it! 

In other news, finished reading “Behind the Beautiful Forevers:  Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity” on Sunday.  Great read.  If I had not known before starting the book that it is a nonfiction piece, I would never have guessed it.  The author, Katherine Boo, spent four years documenting experiences of residents of a Mumbai slum.  While written in her own words, the events and stories recounted in the book are all based on the interviews of the actual people. 

Started reading, and finished, “The Yearling” next.  Yes, I know it’s a bit of an oldie, but as I was browsing my bookshelves before leaving for this trip, I felt like re-reading something that I haven’t read in a while.  (I wanted to have a few paperbacks with me in case my Kindle malfunctioned J. )  And folded between the pages of the book I found my 9^th grade English class reading list – “The Yearling” being one of them!

Starting tomorrow I will be spending the weekend with one of the other English teachers and her family.  I’m not sure what we will be doing yet, but I’ll make sure to take pictures J.  Happy Friday everyone!