SIEI+Yongmin+Cho

media type="file" key="socio interview.m4a"

The focus of my interview was to elicit information that would help improve the students’ education in Korea International School. I interviewed, Ms. McCord; a English teacher who has taught English to juniors and seniors in KIS for the past year. To obtain the answers that I wanted, I formulated a set of questions that evaluated the curriculum, education system and student life in KIS compared to other North American Schools or international schools.

From Ms. McCord’s answers, I was able to recognize that Korea International School has distinct qualities which set it apart from the other international schools around the world. For one thing, the student population is predominantly Korean, most students here have learned English as a second language, there is huge grade inflation, and most students in this school aim to gain acceptance into North American colleges. Considering these characteristics, my interviewee suggested that a special program be put in place in order to improve education in Korea International School. KIS and North American schools have similar curriculum, in that it promotes students to score high on Standardized tests and facilitates their entrance into prestigious colleges. However, she claims that the problem of grade inflation is very severe in this school. Students, more importantly parents of students, must realize that an abundance of high scores devalues those very scores. Teachers should teach so that grades are ‘earned’ rather than ‘given’ to the students. This problem is attributed more so to the high expectations and pressure exerted on the students than the curriculum of the school. To achieve those high grades, students rely on hagwons. On that issue, Ms. McCord expressed her disapproval. She claims that although struggling students who need help should receive some assistance, students need to realize that they cannot excel in every class or subject by attending hagwons every single day. The students in this school, she believes, are very diligent, hardworking people. What the students in this school lack, compared to other international schools, is the exposure to an international perspective to ideas. Because of its homogenous population, and considering that most of the students here have only had exposure to western culture, students tend to have more of a limited outlook. To improve that situation, teachers should try to provide students with a variety of ideas and opinions.