Week 4: New Korea

The past month I spent back in Korea has been a totally different experience. Jiguchon School reminded me of my elementary and middle school days – from break time songs to lunch plates in the school cafeteria. But at the same time, I could observe so many differences especially because the students spoke various languages and had different stories based on where they came from, where their family came from, and so on. Struggles were visible but the solutions weren’t clear. With many of us in one class, we were able to talk and help almost one-on-one when students worked on the worksheets. We used two or three languages at the same time and tried our best by using translators to overcome our limits. However, this would not always be possible in a normal school setting with only one teacher in one class. Hardships may linger on after we leave, so I tried to think of the best we could bring to the students given the short time we could spend with them.

Having spent a week with each grade, we now know most of the elementary school students in Jiguchon. During break time, kids come up to us just to sit around us or to talk about their days. We also frequently visit other grades’ classes to check in with them during break time. I had so many heartwarming moments. One kid gave me his drawings; another kid asked me if she could keep my hair ties. Some girls always give me a hug whenever they see me, and now I sit with them during lunch-time. Kids who didn’t seem interested during class now come up to me and share their family stories. I felt so grateful that we all became closer and closer as days and weeks pass. I’m already so sad to leave, but I hope the kids also remember these moments deep in their hearts. They might not remember our faces later, but just the fact that they felt fulfilled and joyful for these weeks would be a big accomplishment for me.

For after-school classes, I internally debated a lot more. I knew the middle schoolers wanted to get things done but one and a half hours was too long to keep them focused. It took me 40 minutes to explain the differences between ‘a’ and ‘an’ and check one by one if they all understood the concept. Some of the students were trying to explain the concept to their peers as well, but some didn’t even respond to the questions. Then I thought maybe this is not the best use of time. Teaching a few important English grammar or phrases may be helpful, but I did not want them to remember us as just boring after-school teachers. One day we gave them more freedom; we played the guitar together and played card games. The most memorable conversation was when a student asked me for advice on his career plan. He really valued our visit and was motivated to study harder and prepare for college admission. When he opened that up to me, I felt more connected and thought we should spend more time bonding and having fun for the rest of the days. I can’t believe we’re already facing the last week at Jiguchon, but I hope we could spend this time having more memorable moments together.

– Kathy Lee