Students were on Spring Break this week, so I did not gain as much insight as I would have liked. Since our application assignment this week involves re-evaluating our professional goals, I decided to ask Dr. Yurica what some of her professional goals are.
One goal she is currently working on is having every teacher utilize the resources that they have available in their classrooms. She said that every teacher has a smart board in their classroom, but few teachers are using them. At the beginning of the year, she spent time training her student aids and teachers the basics of using a smart board. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, it is like a white board. Teachers can pick a game or a lesson and all the students can interact with it. I was surprised to learn that such an expensive resource is available in each classroom, yet many teachers are not using them. Korea is very modern and advanced in their technology. They take pride in this and start exposing children to technology at a young age.
Another goal that Dr. Yurica has is to close the gap between the teacher’s aides and teachers. In the past, teachers put a lot of pressure on their aids to run errands and gather materials for the classroom, but her goal is for them to help teach. This is so true because the aid is there to assist the teacher teach. I was once a teacher’s aide and felt belittled at times. I felt that my job was not as important as the teacher and that I was just an errand girl. When I was teaching Pre-K, I made sure my aid was well respected by my class, and I gave her the opportunity to help me teach. A professional partnership among colleagues is also one of my goals.
I have a few more tidbits to share about South Korea. Teachers are very well respected here. They really respect anyone who is dedicated to preparing children for the future. In America, it seems that teachers are not well respected until about Kindergarten. Tutors are very popular here. There are many Americans that come here to teacher English at a foreign school and teach English on the side as a tutor. A tutor makes about $30-40 and hour. Anyone who holds a bachelor’s degree and a passport can apply to be a teacher here. The foreign schools here do not care if your degree is in Engineering. They are more interested in the fact that you speak fluent English, and people will pay big bucks for that. The people here dress very conservatively. You will not walk into a classroom and see a teacher in jeans, but you will see a teacher wearing high heels, skirts, and button up blouses. The people do value modesty and presentation. Another interesting tidbit is that children are walking around the streets and taking the subways at a very young age. It is not uncommon for a seven year old possibly younger child walking around by themselves. The country is very safe. I would never let my children walk around the streets alone in America sadly.
I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog about South Korea. I had somewhat of an advantage because I live here, but I have really learned a lot from Dr. Yurica. I knew a lot about the culture, but I did not know as much about early childhood here. I hope to one day be a Principal of an Elementary School. It was very beneficial for me to communicate with Dr, Yurica about her role in early childhood as well as the field itself in another country.
Thank you. This was very insightful, and I would be interested to know if countries that respect teacher are faring better than countries that do not.
ReplyDeleteleanining how other countries value education is always interesting. Thank you for the information Stacey. It must be interesting to be able to actually observe how other cultures such as South Korea view education, as well as the values professionals in the field have. Vlaues that are oftern different from what we see in our country. I am from Mexico, and teachers there are also respected by parents and children. You never see a teacher wearing gym shoes unless he is physical educational teacher, and when it is teacher appreciation day
ReplyDeleteeach parent sends something special for the teacher. The gifts vary depending on the possibilities of the family one child may give you a soap and another a pen and even a chicken or some fruit.
Stacey,
ReplyDeleteYou have posted a wealth of information. I am definitely interested in a Smart Board, but I must first get my teachers to be more creative in the classroom without such a tool. I think that sometimes the internet offers so much that it hampers the creative ability of teachers.
Also, I definitely agree that teachers do not receive the level of respect in which they are entitled until kindergarten. Early childhood is the beginning of the education life of children. During these beginning stages alot is learned about children in preparing them for the school. I believe that school should begin and be known as preschool (which in compasses ages 3 to 8 years old) through 12th grade.
Stacey I have really enjoyed reading your blogs about early childhood in Korea and it seems that you and Dr. Yurica have developed a good relationship and she has provided you with a wealth of information. The children are fortune to have the smartboards and I am sure that the teachers are enjoying being able to utilize it in their teaching. The information about the teacher aids are similiar to most aids in all countries - they are treated as aids so it is great to know that someone is trying to "close the gap". Thanks again for the information.
ReplyDeleteStacey, this is a really good post. I have really liked reading all of your post so far this semester, they are very insightful. I agree with you about how early childhood teacher do not recieve the same amount of respect as grade school teachers.
ReplyDeleteStacey,
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing that every classroom there has a SmartBoard. At my school we also have them, some of us large ones, others smaller ones. I try to use my board as much as possible. It is fun to allow children to practice skills using games, on the board. I feel as if I need more training using the technology, but I am sure that I will learn to use it more as time goes on.
I feel that teachers have lost respect in America. In our day our parents respected the teachers and did not dispute anything that the teacher stated. Today, parents treat teachers as though our word is not worth a hill of beans. I have been disrespected by parents and in turn by their children. As an educator, I give respect and expect respect. I want my students to understand that in the real world you need to respect the authority of those in charge, and we should all treat one another as we would like to be treated. It is very hard to be a teacher today. I don't believe that any of my teachers endures a pinch of what we are forced to swallow today.
Again, thank you for sharing.
Jennifer
Christine,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed learning about Korean early childhood programs. I am glad they are trying to close the gap between teacher aids and teachers. They really should be treated as more of teacher support. I too was a teacher aid once and was treated like a real teacher who could teach when the teacher could not, however, I was also in situations where I was just the errand girl. It does not do much for your self esteem.