New school year

March 2nd was the first day of school. A lot changed that day. I met my new co-teacher, Mr. Yook (he likes to be called Bruce), I have a new TALK scholar teacher, Daniel (from Philadelphia) and I have a new teacher's assistant, Jennifer (from Busan). We all work in the same office. I have the desk closest to the window with a nice view of the mountains in the distance =) We have a brand new heater/air conditioner in the corner as well! I'm sure it will come in handy in the middle of summer. It gets very hot here. Average temperature is between 25 and 30 plus humidex! September and October felt like June and July back home! I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like here. Hot, sweaty and sticky. I definitely prefer dry heat over humid eat. My hair goes nuts in the summer as well. Add that to another reason why I should cut my hair off. That's for another blog though.

Things are pretty good here. Students are crazy as usual. My co-teacher Bruce is also the school's gym teacher. He's a nice guy and the students really like him. The only problem is that his English isn't very good. But that's ok, I'm always up for new challenges. His teaching style is very relaxed and he's very friendly towards the students. Even though I barely understand a word he says, I can tell by the kids' reaction that he's a funny guy. My only worry is that he likes to carry around a big stick about 24 inches long. Fortunately he hasn't used the stick on anyone... yet. I'm still trying to figure out whether it's just for show (intimidation) or if he plans to use it for punishment. For the sake of the students, I hope that it is the latter.

The school system is very different here. Corporal punishment is usually acceptable in Middle Schools but in Elementary it is not. Teachers have much more power here and always have the last word when it comes to what is best for the students. Of course parents have a responsibility for the well being of their own child, but they put a lot of trust in the teachers. It is important that their children get the best education that they can get so they give the teachers full reign over their kids. Thankfully, this freedom is not abused and the kids here are very well behaved so I have not witnessed any corporal punishment.

Although I still have a few questions that need answering. Why are asian kids generally better behaved then north american children? Do teachers enforce a more effective style of discipline or is their behaviour better by nature?

I believe that it is in their nature and culture that they behave this way. In my experience I've observed that Asians are extremely family oriented. Many Koreans live in a single family household surrounded by all of their family members. Father, mother, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin, grandma and grandpa. They value the hierarchy system as well. There is a respect and humility that is taught within Asian families that isn't seen in the Western world. I found that even in city life, Asians are taught to respect and love their elders even if they are complete strangers. I've even experienced this first hand when I was with my parents. This tradition brings into the family respect, order, obedience and honour and goes back thousands of years. Asians honour people who share these qualities while Western cultures honour the rich, the powerful, the beautiful and the rude.