Posted on 05/15/2005 4:39:24 PM PDT by Rockingham
This is excerpted from posted comments by North Korean refugees learning English in Seoul. The teacher who passed on their comments from his students is an Australian, Brendan Brown.
"9) What do North Koreans think of the U.S. government? The American people?
Perhaps the most surprising responses here.
While taught from kindergarten to hate everything about the U.S. and its people, while in North Korea there is no deviating from that position. Class did make a difference in people's perceptions though.
Mrs. C., a journalist from Pyongyang before being sent to a rural area explained that those privileged few with knowledge of the outside world know that the U.S. isn't the great evil it's portrayed as being. Peasants and others do believe the propaganda and do date America intensely.
Their perceptions change after arriving in South Korea. Many hope to study, visit or even migrate there and Americans are admired as a freedom loving people. Their interest level in the U.S. is very high and a 'must do' thing after arriving in South Korea is to find out what the U.S, is really like.
Every student genuinely admires George W. Bush firstly for his "axis of evil" comment, more recently for his comments describing Kim Jong-il as "dangerous" and the mention of concentration camps and for his vision of democracy. [Brendan writes: These are not my personal opinions of Bush: I am merely reporting as they were conveyed to me.] To North Koreans human rights is the issue of most importance to them: more than the nuclear issue and even the removal of the present regime. .Their belief is that Bush, Rice and "the guy with the white moustache" [Brendan says this is a reference to John Bolton] are the only ones who are doing anything about human rights."
(Excerpt) Read more at nkzone.org ...
When in South Korea, a lot of older South Koreans would come up and say thank you because they remembered what the US had done to help them overcome an invasion by a brutal Communist dictatorship. The younger generation had often forgotten that (though they admired the material things of America). To a degree, that seems to be true in our country as many of the younger generation seems to forget the sacrifices others have made for our freedom.
>>>Their belief is that Bush, Rice and "the guy with the white moustache" [Brendan says this is a reference to John Bolton] are the only ones who are doing anything about human rights."
Hahahaha, I'd love to see the Washington Post report this.
BUMP
Sure, same reason that smart Iraqis hate the UN with a passion.
My understanding is that, like ours, the South Korean school system has unions and an embedded leftwing philosophy.
That does come somewhat from the universities and the tendency of Koreans to have demos on just about anything possible (it is the demonstration capital of the world). University students are among the chief demonstrators, though I learned that many did so because it was popular. I actually blame other factors besides education though. Materialism, pride, money worship (above other things such as say a supreme being), fractured family relationships (I believe the divorce rate has risen sharply, but it has been a long time since I checked), the lessening of traditional respect for elders, and so on. ANOTHER big factor is that the younger generation was not around to know the hardships of the war so they don't appreciate them. It's similiar again to us and World War II. It's really one of my big things that people nowadays just don't seem to appreciate what those armed forces (or that generation for that matter) did for our country and the sacrifices they made. Imagine now if we had to do some of the things we had to then (e.g. ration). People would have a cow.
I will admit that I am an elementary teacher. I love what I do and the children and parents with whom I am associated. I do try to do my best to make sure the kids get a good education and to hopefully make some small difference in their lives. And no, that does not mean any leftist agenda. Actually, my biggest "political" thing in education is that dads should share in a kid's learning or at least show their support for it. My dad did so despite coming from a generation with more traditional roles. We kids were better off because of it.
Don't think though that I don't like the Korean people. I really met some wonderful down-to-earth people while there and have nothing but fond memories.
Mass affluence, television, and feminism have also put distance between the generations, whether here, or Korea, or anywhere else.No disagreement here on this part.
I> I have mostly good memories of my teachers, especially as to my K-12 parochial teachers, but scorn for the teacher unions and little regard for most of the premises of modern education. Progressivist ideologies and delusions have done profound damage to education and to the societies that embrace them.
There are still many dedicated teachers out there. At least in my area, the great majority of them are not there to "indoctrinate" the children. In fact, I don't know any teacher who is. I am only talking about my area though. I am not a member of a teacher's union. I don't appreciate when some of them deviate from education to embrace noneducation issues. However, the one in my state tends to concentrate on those involving education pretty much. I do really detest those teachers who do some really stupid things, giving more propaganda for the education liberals to bash education.
Most American urban public school systems today are deficient despite their vast cost and many good teachers and staff. Even the top rank graduates in many public school systems are often weak in subject knowledge and essential skills. Nobel winning physicist Richard Feynman's revealing account of his experience on the California school system curriculum advisory board was written years ago but remains valid.
In my own classroom, I have seen many, many miracles. I see a lot of other good things that go on too. BUT that is not what gets reported. It's too easy nowadays to focus on the negative and blame society's problems on the teachers. Yes, we see a lot of things in terms of numbers nowadays. Nonetheless, it was most gratifying to see at my class reunion that the great majority of my graduating class were devoted parents, married, and were leading productive lives in various occupations (many in business, technology, or other fields). To me, it's more than just numbers. More on that in my last part.
I should note also that despite being one of the lowest-spending districts in the country, yet a very large majority of the high school graduates go on to college, there is a 3% dropout rate, and the seniors earned at least $18 million in scholarships last year. Yes, I do realize that other places have similar results, but I'm just sharing that from my area.
Koreans are about the most educated people on the planet (often being number 1 in numbers for science and math scores and how many PHD's per capita), but often I saw that they did not APPLY what they learned in a physical way. On paper, it was fine, but it was hard for them to demonstrate the skill. More than once I heard some school administrators say they were trying to become more like America's system.
http://www.textbookleague.org/103feyn.htm Yet there is hope for American education, just for reform of public education along its current lines. Home schooled kids from the US and black kids from impoverished Caribbean islands taught in one room schoolhouses are prized by colleges. They readily win scholarships and tend to do well and graduate.
There are lots of factors here I could discuss, but won't. I do like your comment about those from the Caribbean Islands.
Computers, the Internet, and home schooling are only beginning their influence and are giving rise to a more pluralistic educational system. Parents -- and good teachers -- may in time recover control over their children's education and redirect it toward subject matter learning and character development. Here is where I agree and disagree somewhat. It is not bad to have plurality in education. I agree that parents (and good teachers as you put it) should have control over their child's learning and character development (almost any teacher I know would probably agree). However, my parents didn't need any "plurality" to realize that THEY were the ones who did indeed have responsibility for our learning and character development and they took full advantage of that realization.
All eight of us have (one still is) gone to public schools (inner-city type ones at that). All of us have never touched alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes. None of us had premarital sex and all of us are loyal to our spouses. All of us put having a strong family as paramount in importance and respect our parents a great deal. All of us have gone on to college (2 still in college) and are successful in our chosen vocations (computers, Air Force, doctor, stay-at-home mom, teaching, commercial pilot, and so on). We were all good students with all of us having high GPA's--with 2 valedictorians, 2 salutatorians, and the rest ranking in the top 5% (out of some 400 students). My brother is currently the top student in his class as a junior in high school. All of us are active in local Christian congregations and strive to put God first in our lives. All six of us boys are Eagle Scouts too. No, none of us went to Harvard (though we did go to good colleges). BUT it wasn't the numbers that were important to my mother. She wanted all of us to be good kids and to work hard. We all are doing that because we have the greatest amount of respect for our mother and father. This actually is the legacy of my grandparents on both sides. Most of the relatives on both sides can say similiar things despite every one of us going to public schools. I forgot to mention that one of my grandfathers was the STATE president of the teachers' union for a number of years and that my other grandfather was on the school board for a lot of years.
I am sorry about the length of this, but again my point was that my parents didn't need something else--they already determined that they would be the major influence in their kids' lives and indeed they were. I am extremely grateful for the example they set.
I try to apply the principles I learned from my parents in my own classroom. I love the kids I teach and their parents. I sometimes think that I am the luckiest teacher in the world. I see so many unexplained miracles, that I just get amazed. After all, it is not me doing it, but something else. I try to do the simple things like contacting parents on a regular basis, establishing a positive learning environment, tutorng outside of school if needed, responding to concerns right away, and much more. I live in my school boundaries which makes it nice to because as I am doing my job, I am serving my community too.
I do feel one solution to education is for everyone to be on the same page and to work together to achieve a positive result rather than to just complain, focus on the negative, or to blame others. I apply it in my own classroom and it does work.
Finally, 2 last points. There are two things that sadden me. One is that we have SO SO SO SO many choices and things today and that too many times we take them for granted and are not satisfied/appreciative of the things that we do have. It wasn't that long ago that people would have been amazed to have the things that we take for granted today. We should always remember to thank the man upstairs for what we have and for making it all possible. TWO, we don't realize what a glorious opportunity we have to raise kids. To me, the number one privilege is being a mother, the number two one is being a father. Unfortunately, I have not had been able to have the "choice" to have children yet and circumstances are such right now that I won't in the forseeable future. It is one of my greatest desires to raise a family. I can not understand anyone taking that for granted and complaining about kids or things having to do with their kids (because they have had that choice). BUT I don't exercise any self-pity. I do what I can to serve others and other people's children. I rejoice in their accomplishments and compliment them on their efforts to live good lives and to maintain strong families.
One of my best teachers taught me something two years ago. It was my former student who had cancer. I was undergoing my own difficulties at that time. Then God sent "Carl" back into my life. Despite not having much choice in life with the full knowledge that he would die soon, Carl NEVER ONCE COMPLAINED. My own petty troubles seemed insignificant next to his. Carl never stopped learning and relished the visits from his teachers, friends, and neighbors. He changed an entire community that year with his cheerfulness, humor, and spirit. And in the end, it was he who determined the outcome. He promised his mother that he would let her know when to take him home so that he could pass away in her arms there rather than another place. He kept that promise as a final expression of love to his devoted mother. I often wonder if he's around somewhere near me, still learning. Carl loved school. I have no doubt that he is in a better place with you-know-who. What an example I have to follow.
Yes, numbers are important and I try to get those, but things go much deeper for me.
Good comments. Thanks.
P.S. I'll try to use a spell check next time. Man, for a grammar nut like myself, you would think that I wouldn't embarrass myself so much. Oh well:>
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