I've been meaning to blog about the differences between American schools and Korean schools for some time, but I wanted to give myself some time to soak things in before I made broad generalizations.
So here's the list:
- instead of bells between classes a little chime plays
- everyone (teachers, other staff, students) wears slippers in school
- teachers will sometimes sleep at their desk during free periods (or in some schools in the teachers lounge)
- many students and teachers are at school until late into the night: a majority of students stay after to school sometimes until almost 10 p.m. studying, and many of those that don't stay instead head off to private schools for the evening. Education is emphasized, at least through time commitment, much more here.
- my smallest class has over 30 students, my largest is over 40 (that's very common)
- the students "clean" the school every afternoon (let's just say things aren't sparkling!)
- physical discipline is still practice, even if discouraged by the government (slaps, hits with a short stick, push ups, etc are handed out as punishment daily)
Well, that's far from a comprehensive list, but it gives you a little glimpse into the South Korean education system.
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