The following continues the serialization of Chapter 3 on education from SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Humanity:
The South Korean Example
You will note below (blog of 17Sept09) that South Korea scores well. This is good and bad. During his presidency in the 1980s, Chun Doo-hwan (mentioned in Chapter 6 about my dinner with the Kims) banned hogwons, or private cram schools. This prohibition was lifted in 1990, changing the life of a South Korean student.
Always, there was the parental goal of their child getting into the SKY universities, the acronym of the three top schools, Seoul National, Korea and Yonsei Universities. Jobs with the chaebols (big business groups) and government are predicated on being a graduate of a SKY college, as, for example, 12 of the 18 top ministers in the federal government today are graduates of SNU. Suitable marriages and assured success are also drivers.
How best, then, to gain acceptance? First, you must get into the right kindergarten, then complement regular school with more intensive lessons that could well mean arriving home after midnight. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child complained that children in South Korea were having their right to play violated. The size of the average Korean class is 37 students, more than 50% larger than the 24 for the typical OECD nation. There are thus perceived gaps in the public school system. Thus, the rise of cram schools, which could cost up to $1000/month/child. It is estimated that parents spend at least $16 billion per year for this service. Remember that outrageous $16 billion per year sum suggested to raise the bar for gifted students and convert a potential criminal into a model citizen? South Korean parents pay at least that amount just for cram school.
All this begins to reach a peak as the time comes for the national College Scholastic Ability Test. Nearly 700,000 students seeking entrance spend a day determining their future life. American college boards are tense. In South Korea it is pathological, or certifiably nuts.
Daechidong (location in Seoul where the cram schools are located) moms (see photo above)spend up to 100 days before that date praying in a church for an hour and a half every afternoon, chanting for success and bowing to Buddha a thousand times with a photo of their child at their feet. You think the child will not be affected by all this effort?
That day, the entire country delays the start of work until 10 AM so that these students will not be inconvenienced by traffic jams. The exam itself starts at 8:40. Emergency vehicles are available if necessary by calling 119, honking is prohibited, aircraft takeoff and landing times are rescheduled, sellers of good luck charms make a handsome profit and the cheerleading junior class sings comforting words of encouragement. There is a slight exaggeration here, but not much.
In Korea, moms were asked about their educational system, and the general response was that their children were too lazy and there was insufficient homework. In the U.S., the complaint was there was too much homework and more should be done about boosting student pride. Huh?
Well, is homework bad? Two American books actually back up the U.S. mom. The Homework Myth (Alfie Kohn, Da Capo Press, 2006) and The Case Against Homework (two mothers, Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish, Crown Publishers, 2006) argue that homework torments families and serves to turn students against learning. Further, cited is a study by Duke University showing that homework does not measurably improve academic achievement for grade school students. And, even further, those who study 2 hours or more in high school tend to get lower scores. What? Oh course, most of us don’t realize that we had it easy. Since 1981, homework has gone up by more than 50% in the U.S. And we are still doing so poorly in those comparative surveys? That is, indeed, a concern.
Shouldn’t childhood be fun? Yes, of course, so, perhaps, achievement is being overdone in South Korea. Also, cheating has become a problem. Bribes, just to have your child accommodated in regular classes, are not uncommon, because, in addition to the test score, you must also do well in school. Plus, during the past few years, it was reported that nearly 500 students committed suicide as a result of this process. Frighteningly, nearly 50% of students, it was found through a Ministry of Education survey, actually contemplated this act. Thus, success is coming at a price.
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You will note below (blog of 17Sept09) that South Korea scores well. This is good and bad. During his presidency in the 1980s, Chun Doo-hwan (mentioned in Chapter 6 about my dinner with the Kims) banned hogwons, or private cram schools. This prohibition was lifted in 1990, changing the life of a South Korean student.
Always, there was the parental goal of their child getting into the SKY universities, the acronym of the three top schools, Seoul National, Korea and Yonsei Universities. Jobs with the chaebols (big business groups) and government are predicated on being a graduate of a SKY college, as, for example, 12 of the 18 top ministers in the federal government today are graduates of SNU. Suitable marriages and assured success are also drivers.
How best, then, to gain acceptance? First, you must get into the right kindergarten, then complement regular school with more intensive lessons that could well mean arriving home after midnight. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child complained that children in South Korea were having their right to play violated. The size of the average Korean class is 37 students, more than 50% larger than the 24 for the typical OECD nation. There are thus perceived gaps in the public school system. Thus, the rise of cram schools, which could cost up to $1000/month/child. It is estimated that parents spend at least $16 billion per year for this service. Remember that outrageous $16 billion per year sum suggested to raise the bar for gifted students and convert a potential criminal into a model citizen? South Korean parents pay at least that amount just for cram school.
All this begins to reach a peak as the time comes for the national College Scholastic Ability Test. Nearly 700,000 students seeking entrance spend a day determining their future life. American college boards are tense. In South Korea it is pathological, or certifiably nuts.
Daechidong (location in Seoul where the cram schools are located) moms (see photo above)spend up to 100 days before that date praying in a church for an hour and a half every afternoon, chanting for success and bowing to Buddha a thousand times with a photo of their child at their feet. You think the child will not be affected by all this effort?
That day, the entire country delays the start of work until 10 AM so that these students will not be inconvenienced by traffic jams. The exam itself starts at 8:40. Emergency vehicles are available if necessary by calling 119, honking is prohibited, aircraft takeoff and landing times are rescheduled, sellers of good luck charms make a handsome profit and the cheerleading junior class sings comforting words of encouragement. There is a slight exaggeration here, but not much.
In Korea, moms were asked about their educational system, and the general response was that their children were too lazy and there was insufficient homework. In the U.S., the complaint was there was too much homework and more should be done about boosting student pride. Huh?
Well, is homework bad? Two American books actually back up the U.S. mom. The Homework Myth (Alfie Kohn, Da Capo Press, 2006) and The Case Against Homework (two mothers, Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish, Crown Publishers, 2006) argue that homework torments families and serves to turn students against learning. Further, cited is a study by Duke University showing that homework does not measurably improve academic achievement for grade school students. And, even further, those who study 2 hours or more in high school tend to get lower scores. What? Oh course, most of us don’t realize that we had it easy. Since 1981, homework has gone up by more than 50% in the U.S. And we are still doing so poorly in those comparative surveys? That is, indeed, a concern.
Shouldn’t childhood be fun? Yes, of course, so, perhaps, achievement is being overdone in South Korea. Also, cheating has become a problem. Bribes, just to have your child accommodated in regular classes, are not uncommon, because, in addition to the test score, you must also do well in school. Plus, during the past few years, it was reported that nearly 500 students committed suicide as a result of this process. Frighteningly, nearly 50% of students, it was found through a Ministry of Education survey, actually contemplated this act. Thus, success is coming at a price.
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The Dow Jones Industrials passed the 6October08 high, increasing 36 to 9820, while world markets mostly went down. The question now is, will 10,000 come before 8500. Oil did not change much at a bit below $72/barrel, and gold dropped $7/toz to $1007.
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Typhoon Choi-wan is now south of Tokyo at 125 MPH, and will actually strengthen over the next day or so. However, the computer models appear to be very accurate, as this dangerous storm is beginning to head northwest, and appears destined for the Aleutians. There is a new disturbance in the Atlantic that is expected to follow the same path as those previous storms. In the East Pacific, Tropical Storm Marty is now moving west towards Hawaii, but will significantly weaken over the next few days. Another disturbance will most likely head north toward Baha.
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