School in June

Although I officially ended my semester on May 8, I have attended classes at school...Korean school that is. Since I'm in Seoul to do a project on English education, I've visited a high school, a middle school, and a university to interview some people.

The high school I visited was an all-boys school, so it was a little weird that the only female in the room was me. Strange? Yes. Especially if you were me. Anyways, I had some good conversations with two high school students, and they were able to give me some really insightful comments about English in Korean society. (Of course, it helped that both boys studied abroad in English-speaking countries for 4-5 years and had a strong grasp of the English language. Most high school students, though, were too shy to say anything to me. Perhaps they were stunned by my awesomeness.) At the high school, I had to talk a bit about myself in front of a class so the students could hear a "native English speaker." It was a little weird, talking about my life. (I was born in California. I eat Korean food. Yes, there is Korean food in the US. I go to college in Massachusetts. No, I don't go to Harvard. You have never heard of my college, etc.) They were just tedious bits about my life, but they were interested in what I had to say (they were probably more interested in the fact that I was talking rather than what I was talking about).

The middle school was a bit different. The majority of the students were from families in the lower middle class, and you could definitely tell the differences between the two schools in terms of future goals, educational approaches, etc. The students were not as shy, and they talked to me, though in Korean. But the middle schoolers were nice, and it made to remember the good ol' days at my own middle school - awkwardly proportioned kids, weird boy-girl exchanges, the "I'm all that" attitude, etc. These students weren't able to tell me as much as the high school students, but it was still interesting to talk to them.

I also visited an all-women's university. I was easily the shabbiest looking person with my blue jeans and t-shirt. These girls all had high heels (as opposed to my Nike sneakers), oversized shiny bags, crazy accessories, and looking very chic in the Korean summer even though the university is located on top of a hill. (Hills aren't my friends in Nike sneakers, so I imagine that they still wouldn't be my friends in high heels.) Anyways, I didn't interview that many students since I was just following my cousin and to interview private tutors, but it was an experience to be surrounded only by girls after being surrounded only by boys.

After all the interviews with teachers and students, I appreciate my education in the US. Korean education is interesting, but only from the perspective of an outsider.

Susan

PS If you're really interested in English education in Korea, you can always read my report that I'm supposed to write by September. Who knows when the report will actually be written, though.