The first person I made contact with was through a colleague of mine whose cousin work as a teacher in South Korea. Jo Theis taught for 20 years in the public schools of Minneapolis when she transferred to the Seoul Foreign School to teach Middle School Art. The school she teaches at was created in 1912 by missionaries. In order to attend this school you must hold a passport from outside of Korea. For this reason Ms. Theis explained that it is not uncommon for families to move to the United States to have their children and then return so that their children will hold a U.S. passport. Education in South Korea is a priority and is taken very seriously. Families will live apart so that children can attend the best schools. Ms. Theis also is the Assistant Head of School for Academics. She works a great deal with the benchmarks and standards for PK-12. This week she will be attending a Conference in Malasia and will be attending a focus group on Early Childhood Education.
Ms. Theis explained that many of the students in her school are what are considered "Third Culture Kids". Prior to our conversation I had not heard of this expression. She explained that this means that the culture the children encounter at school is different from the culture at home and different from the culture of their community. I found this interesting since I realized that this is exactly what I experienced as a student in West Germany when I attended the American High School there. She also gave me a link to a blog that I found interesting which discusses Third Culture Kids and their challenges: http://libbystephens.com/blog/schools
When I asked Ms. Theis about poverty she explained that South Korea hides their poor and it is rarely ever seen. In her years living there she has only ever seen one woman who begs in the town they go to when they go to the market. When she spoke to her colleagues regarding poverty many felt that because South Korea has been occupied by other countries that it has created a sense of pride and determination and this keeps individuals inspired to overcome their struggles. Many also felt that poverty is a very personal issue for Koreans and they do not discuss such issues openly with others. While they are a very giving culture and have many holidays where they give gifts to everyone and they will share what ever they have they are also still very private about some issues.
I have found our conversations very interesting and informative.
My second contact, Jeanette Tapia-Aguilar, is actually my brother-in-laws mother. She lives in Costa Rica. While she is now retired she taught for 20 years in Costa Rica from Preschool to Third Grade. She explained that in Costa Rica Preschool and general education is mandatory, free, and funded by the State. They have two "periods" which include the Infant/Nursery period for children under 5 and Preschool for children 5-6 which they attend prior to Kindergarten / First Grade. She explained that poverty has always been an issue in Costa Rica but one which they have greatly improved on reducing in their country through social service, education, and health programs. Their medical services are of the highest quality and their higher education costs much less than it does in America.
She also told me that while she worked she did have children who would come to school hungry, dirty, and who lived in very poor conditions. For those children, the school would always feed them and try to assist them with local services, many of which were provided by local churches. She feels that poverty is always an issue which educators face with the families and students in their schools but she feels that Costa Rica goes a long way to address the issue.
Below I have also listed the link to the school in which Ms. Theis works for:
http://www.seoulforeign.org/
Ms. Theis explained that many of the students in her school are what are considered "Third Culture Kids". Prior to our conversation I had not heard of this expression. She explained that this means that the culture the children encounter at school is different from the culture at home and different from the culture of their community. I found this interesting since I realized that this is exactly what I experienced as a student in West Germany when I attended the American High School there. She also gave me a link to a blog that I found interesting which discusses Third Culture Kids and their challenges: http://libbystephens.com/blog/schools
When I asked Ms. Theis about poverty she explained that South Korea hides their poor and it is rarely ever seen. In her years living there she has only ever seen one woman who begs in the town they go to when they go to the market. When she spoke to her colleagues regarding poverty many felt that because South Korea has been occupied by other countries that it has created a sense of pride and determination and this keeps individuals inspired to overcome their struggles. Many also felt that poverty is a very personal issue for Koreans and they do not discuss such issues openly with others. While they are a very giving culture and have many holidays where they give gifts to everyone and they will share what ever they have they are also still very private about some issues.
I have found our conversations very interesting and informative.
My second contact, Jeanette Tapia-Aguilar, is actually my brother-in-laws mother. She lives in Costa Rica. While she is now retired she taught for 20 years in Costa Rica from Preschool to Third Grade. She explained that in Costa Rica Preschool and general education is mandatory, free, and funded by the State. They have two "periods" which include the Infant/Nursery period for children under 5 and Preschool for children 5-6 which they attend prior to Kindergarten / First Grade. She explained that poverty has always been an issue in Costa Rica but one which they have greatly improved on reducing in their country through social service, education, and health programs. Their medical services are of the highest quality and their higher education costs much less than it does in America.
She also told me that while she worked she did have children who would come to school hungry, dirty, and who lived in very poor conditions. For those children, the school would always feed them and try to assist them with local services, many of which were provided by local churches. She feels that poverty is always an issue which educators face with the families and students in their schools but she feels that Costa Rica goes a long way to address the issue.
Below I have also listed the link to the school in which Ms. Theis works for:
http://www.seoulforeign.org/
Wow.. Toni seems like you recieved a wealth of information. When reading your post I was reminded of a situation that I am encountering now at our school. We have sisters that come to school everyday wet, hungry and dirty and are living in poor conditions but our problem is we have offered help and the parent refuses to take it. It is so sad!! All when can do is help the child while they are with us.
ReplyDeleteQuestion your cousin in Korea how do they actually like teaching over there and have they ever taught in the United States. If they have can they compare the curriculm to the United States.
ReplyDelete