In
our class, we’ve discussed many aspects of education that seem to be making a
difference in many of the Asian countries. As someone who’s familiar with how
education is run in those countries, especially in South Korea, I have come to
a conclusion that the major difference has to be how much emphasis and value is
placed on education in those countries.
For
example, in South Korea on the day that the college entrance exams are
administered, the whole country comes to a dead halt. By that I mean, the
police are out on the streets making sure the roads are cleared so that the
students can get to school safely. Some of the officers are on “stand by” in
order to give a ride to students who are running late as they are going to the testing
site. Any events that can create noise (i.e., concerts, outdoor activities,
etc.) are never scheduled for that day. Parents go to temples or church and
pray while their child is taking the exam. Basically, the whole country comes to a halt and is only focused
on making sure the test takers have everyone’s full support.
How
much impact do you think this type of emphasis on education could make here in the US? How can we, as teachers, promote the
importance of education to families who do not see education as a priority? At the elementary level, teachers
get notes from parents that range from, “Please
excuse Johnny from his homework today. He had soccer practice and could not
finish” to “Johnny will be missing school for the next two weeks as we are
going to Disney World in Florida.” Is there
anything we can do as teachers to change the mindset of families who do not
value education as much as they should? Is this even possible or are we in “too
deep” with a culture that has too many families who do not consider education a
priority?
As the latest PISA results show, the US has a way to compared to the likes of South Korea (http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/education-international-test-results-100575.html). However, within the US one can find "Islands of excellence" - regardless of socioeconomic status, extra curricular activities, or overall district test scores, these schools or classrooms show that a culture for academic achievement can be built in the US as well. I believe one of the common factors for these oasis' is strong leadership, either through school administration or a teacher, where the emphasis is always focused on what is the best for the child now and in the future. All parties (teacher, students, parents, and greater school community) should be part of this process, and the further out of the classroom the link spreads, the stronger "the island" grows. Do I hope that when I send my children to school one day in the future we have a society that values education as much as South Korea: absolutely. But I do believe that I can be a part of the solution.
ReplyDeleteI honestly feel that, that sort of impact would not happen in the United States, since the United States is a melting pot of classes and ethnicities. South Korean's culture is different from the culture of the United States and so, I don't think that would actually occur in America. However, in regards to your next question, I don't see how much more teachers can do to place more emphasis on education. If the parents don't value education, I always find that their children are on that same pathway. I think for education to be valued, everything would have to be insync. Government and media would have to give some credit to educators, as well as create jobs for students, when they graduate college, and make school affordable. Once, parents start to see how education can have the possibility to improve their circumstances, then maybe, education would start to be valued.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree a bit with both Joana and Donna, but to directly answer the question: we are "too deep" into a culture that does not value education enough. For example, parents where I work have zero qualms about taking a student out for a week just prior to midterm exams because their younger child has a week off and they all want to go on a ski vacation. Education in the U.S. is a priority for many families, but for many it also is not. I agree with Joana's statement that South Korea is much more homogeneous as a society than the U.S. is, so to expect to achieve that level of educational support and stability at home is virtually impossible. Do I agree that we need to reach that level of rigidity in order to achieve higher scores? Probably not, but we should be striking a balance. Unfortunately, we are living in such a diverse culture with a multitude of activities for students to engage in that the less "fun" work (school) is pushed under the carpet in favor of other, more stimulating activities. I do not have a permanent solution at this moment, but it must begin in the home and parents cannot be afraid to say to their children, "you cannot play such a sport or such an instrument until your work is done", because even professionals in their given field need to have an education to fall back on, and this should also be explained to children from the age of pre-adolesence.
ReplyDeleteBeing in the district that I am in Kelly, I do tend to get those notes in the morning. It is very sad to me when the parents themselves make up excuses for their children especially at such a young age. Parents should be their reinforcements, encouraging them to make right choices. Instead, parents promote inappropriate behavior and the students tend to bring it into the classroom. Children need to know that their parents are and they will be reprimanded when they do something wrong. However, the problem is these parents are not consistent with their punishments as they should be. Families in other countries are stricter with their rules and this is certainly not a bad thing. Parents in the U.S. should take notes from these parents from other countries and look at how positive some of their impacts have been. I can’t see the whole country coming to a halt because of an exam for the children, but its not a bad idea. If children saw how serious the town is making these assessments, they may take it more serious. The generation is certainly changing and its important for the parents, administrators and children to work together and make this as successful as they can.
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