Korean students and American students share a lot of similarities and differences. For the most part, if I ever hear an American student complain about too much school I will slap them silly (ok not really). This country is school crazy, but in a good way. Teachers care about their students success and parents push them even further. Although school is mainly academic driven they still go on field trips, have sports days and teach creative and inventive lessons. There are a lot of opportunities for students to become successful and everybody is pushing them every step of the way.
Ok, let’s start with elementary school (1st to 6th grade). Kids will attend school Monday though Friday from 9am to 2pm. They will also attend school 2 Saturdays a month. After 2pm, most students will attend a hogwon (Korean Private School). Or, some students will attend after school classes provided by their school. Some students will be in school as late as 10pm. After school classes and hogwons cover many subjects, but I think most student receive extra English instruction.
Middle school students (7th to 9th grade) will attend just as much school if not more. Some Middle school students will even live on campus during the week because they chose a school for a certain specialty (like sports or mechanics) that is far a away from their home. Their day schedule is very similar to Elementary students, but I believe they will attend more hours of school and the discipline is more intense. High school students (10th to 12th grade) most likely live on campus. High schools are aimed to a certain specialty like science, or math or language. Students will pick their high school accordingly and they also have to take an entrance exam. A lot of pressure. Their school days are long. They have regular classes from 9am to 4pm, then extra classes, then they have mandatory study time form 8pm to 10pm. The teachers observe them studying. And sometimes students will attend more class after that.
Classroom management is at a whole different level in Korea. I am a firm believer in positive reinforcement, but Korean teachers think otherwise. It also amazes me what Korean teachers decide what’s punishable and what they will look the other way on. I will see so many students (mainly boys) pushing, slapping, hitting, pinching, punching, you name it during break time and the teachers will do nothing. I will even catch it a few times in class and nothing. But if the student is disrespectful or not participating then that is when the punishment begins. Since I do not understand Korean language, I don’t always understand why the students are being punished, but I do understand that my Korean co teacher is frustrated. A lot of times the whole class will have to close their eyes and put their hands on top of their heads. She will begin to lecture them and then they will have to raise their hands straight up. Their hands get heavy and begin to shake. The teacher will lecture them for as long as she feels necessary, then they put their hands down and we continue instruction.
If one student or a few students are disrespectful then the punishment is more intense. Many times students will have to stand facing the corner during class time in humiliation. Other times students will have to write letters or sentences. Another time a few students did a series of push ups and squats until they could barely move. This is just elementary students. In Middle school the teachers walk around with a stick and use it as necessary. Some students will have to squat against the wall with their hands out for an extended period of time during class. Jayson has seen students completing work in the hall on their knees. If a student gets sent to the principal’s office, I hear it’s brutal. I don’t know much about high school, but I imagine it’s pretty similar. Since high schoolers have to earn their way into the school, I would imagine they behave a little better, but I don’t know.
Anyway, these are just generalizations and not facts. This is just a bunch of examples that I have witnessed in my school or heard from my friends. But still I find it all to be pretty interesting. I take it for what it is and try not to judge. This system works for Korea. So, if you are a teacher or a parent in the States and your kids are being little sh*!s you can share this story with them. Enjoy!
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