The Korea Daily Los Angeles

[Student Reporters] Korean Students Hate Hakwons? Not So True.

Korean students are not always happy about private institutions called hakwons. They think it‘s too expensive and that there’s too much homework. Also, they don‘t like the fact that hakwons make them stay until midnight. However, when they go to study in foreign country and the opportunity finally comes to escape from hakwons, students choose to continue their private tutoring. Seowon Oh, a sophomore from Milton Academy MA, goes out to Boston for private tutoring for AP chemistry every Saturday. After she solves the practice problems, her teacher grades them and shows her how to solve the ones she got wrong or doesn’t know. She leaves her dorm at 11:00AM and returns at 8:00PM, sometimes even as late as 9:00. Some people might be shocked that she spends her precious Saturday weekend studying; however, for Seowon who has been going to private institutions called hakwons in Korea, she isn‘t that stressed about her commitment. “I’ve been attending Korean public school since 5th grade ever since I came back from America, and Koreans who attend public schools are usually used to going to hakwons,” she says. In Korea, some students attend up to three hakwons after school. Sometimes, the institutions force students to stay until past midnight or for more than five hours. Even though Seowon has experienced all these, surprisingly, she does not think negatively of hakwons. She even goes back to Korea every vacation to attend them. “I need to go to hakwons because I don‘t work well by myself. Also, I procrastinate a lot, and I find the teachers hard to approach,” says Seowon, “The way I think is probably because I am Korean. As Korean, I care more about grades and standardized tests. If I were American, I think the situation would’ve been a lot different.” Also from Korean public school, Min Song, another Korean International student from McCallie School agrees with Seowon. He says, “Of course hakwon‘s are not that necessary, but it is positively sure that they higher your grades, especially since public education is horrible in korea. And everybody goes to hakwons, which eventually makes hakwons essential to the students in korea.” However, it seems like generally only Koreans from public school agree with Seowon’s and Minsong‘s ideas. Most of Korean-American students and those from international schools think private tutoring is useless. Their idea of private tutoring is limited to taking lessons for music or art. Esther Kim, who is a sophomore at Milton Academy, attended KIS before she came to Milton. She says, “Why do I need to go to hakwons when I can just ask the school teachers for help? Well, I might need one to study for standardized tests, but even then, I don’t want to get private lessons during school.” Despite the differences in opinions, they both agree that Americans take private tutoring least seriously. An interview with one of the Milton Academy students exemplified this fact. Yael Acker-Krzywicki says, “Private tutoring? I never really thought about that. I‘ll do it if I need it. But I don’t think I‘ll need it.” In conclusion, the fact that Korean students rely on hakwons even while they’re in foreign countries indicate that the ministry of education‘s plan to reduce private tutoring in Korea is going to be difficult. It seems that hakwons have already penetrated too deeply into Korean education.

[Student Reporters] Exchange Student Programs Should be enhanced in Schools In Korea

In a classroom of 35 students 20 students say they have experience studying English in countries like America Canada Australia and New Zealand. Because the ability to speak English has become a necessary thing and it is hard for parents to follow the students and support them many students go to abroad through local private institutes that guarantee an impressive learning agenda. However problems have risen from these programs such as the excessive amount of money demanded outside of school education and the private institutes only craving to make lucrative profits. D, a 7th grader from Dae middle school in Seoul has gone to Seattle to study English for one year through a prominent private institute program which promised for an economical and safe abroad study agenda. However his parents paid $5000~7000 for home stay private lessons besides school education to supplicate English and math and additionally paid the school tuition which was $12000. As a result D returned to Korea not only because of the excessive amount of money his parents was burdened to pay but also some other reasons. D says "I don't think the money was worth at all. I spoke Koreans with Korean kids in a school composed of more than half of Koreans and I did not learn English nor the culture of United States." However D parents say this was the only choice they could make because they state: "Both of our couples work so it is very difficult to find a way to send our kids to abroad to study English. So it is a natural thing for parents to rely on local private institutes." In fact exchange student programs that are offered by the school have not been actively working out ever since the Ministry of Education has promised to activate the safe exchange student programs. At the same time it has been 14 years ever since the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey has offered exchange students programs each year so that students can experience foreign culture first hand and also have a limitless opportunity to practice the language. Each year Lawrenceville students are given the opportunity to visit Spain China Japan Peru France and many other countries to learn the language of the country but also to become aware of global issues and the students have a lifelong experience by adapting to the different cultures. On March 24th four Japanese students from Keio School in Tokyo were placed in traditional house systems that have been sustained for 2 centuries at the Lawrenceville School for three weeks to learn English and experience the boarding school life. Ai a Japanese exchange student from Tokyo says "This one month was kind of like a dream for me now. I really had a wonderful time experiences and made an abundant of precious memories! My English has improved a lot because of your kind help. Especially thanks to the McClellan House for helping me enjoy my first dorm life." The exchange student program the school offers is a great opportunity for students to learn the language and the culture in a safe environment because the instructors are certificated under the school and have passed numerous tests. Schools in Korea should enhance the exchange students programs so that parents and students no longer have to worry for studying abroad.

[Student Reporters] 'Education Cuts in the “Sunshine State'

Among the 50 states in America Florida is ranked last in the nation in terms of spending per pupil compared to the state's wealth. Last year Florida's per pupil spending was 15% below the national average at $7759 per student. Recent budget cuts have made this situation even worse. At Buchholz High School in Alachua County Florida teachers and administrators have had to cut back on spending and cut entire budgets in order to survive under new expenditures. One teacher remarked that it was now impossible to even buy new toilet paper. The reason behind the cuts were because of the recent downturns in the economy which led to less tax money for the state government. In response the state of Florida decided to cut education funds with less money being sent to schools. However while most students and teachers seem to understand the reason disagree with the steps the State has taken. "Right now our money is not being distributed accordingly." Other students seemed to share similar views. Jennifer Duncanson a sophomore states that "The more money that is taken away from our high schools the more activities we are missing out on. We are only in high school once and due to the budget cuts we aren't able to fully fulfill our high school experience." Teachers especially seemed to have strong opinions on the recent cuts. The sociology/psychology teacher at Buchholz Ms. Kirsten Flamand argues that the state should cut everything before it starts to cut on eduction explaining that one cannot "go back and fix a bad education." Dr. Fagerberg currently the only Biology teacher in the Advanced Placement curriculum stated that budget cuts "limits creative experiences" for high school students. She too agrees that funds were unfairly allocated - even among the amount given to schools. "Subjects [such as] science needs a lot of funding and should be a priority over issues such as school buses. Funding cuts should not be across-the-board." For her subject Dr. Fagerberg requires funding for in-class lab sessions required by the AP curriculum. However due to the funding cuts labs have been cut back reduced or replaced with cheaper alternatives. All of the orders she put in for the second semester have been cancelled and only recently did the school allow an order to come through necessary for her subject. "Funding cuts restricts the experiences you can give to students" she explains.

[Student Reporters] San Fernando Valley Youth Olympics

The annual San Fernando Valley Youth Olympics was held for all Korean Americans at Chatsworth High School on March 18. This event consisted of Korean American student representatives from each valley high school and middle school engaging in sports games such as basketball, football, volleyball, track, tennis and dance. The event commenced at 7:30 a.m. and ended well into the afternoon with a trophy ceremony awarding each high school and middle school with trophies and medals for their wins in each category. A total of seven high schools [Chatsworth, Cleveland, El Camino Real, Granada Hills Charter, Kennedy, North Hollywood and Van Nuys high school] and seven middle schools [Frost, Holmes, Lawerence, Nobel, Patrick Henry, Porter and Portola middle school] were involved in the Olympics. Approximately 600-700 students and parents alike participated. “I always looked forward to the Korean American Olympics in the valley ever since I was a freshman,” Jennifer Lee, a senior from Granada Hills Charter high school said. “It helps me to re-connect with my other Korean friends at different high schools that I haven‘t talked to in a while. The event was always a place where I was able to make new friends and just have fun.” The first of these Olympics was held 12 years ago and since then were always sponsored by the Valley Korean American Parents Association [VKAPA], Los Angeles Unified District, and other local organizations. “Through this event, students from all parts of the San Fernando Valley came together and participated in various sports competitions. This event created opportunities for students to engage in meaningful activities that promoted healthy lifestyles and good sportsmanship,” VKAPA president Jenny Park said. Students, mainly Koreans, were able to connect with one another and meet new people through this event. They also built trusting relationships as they practiced cooperating with each other on their school teams. “Korean American students from other schools were able to meet new people and form friendships through this event. The athletes got competitive, but it created an intense and enjoyable aura,” event MC and Granada Hills Charter high school representative Michelle Park said. Each student who came to participate in the games or to just cheer on their classmates or friends was able to wear a free t-shirt with the name of their school on the front and back. “I felt that the event brought together all the Korean American students and parents in the valley,” Sam Choi, a junior from Cleveland high school said. “It brought us back to our ethnic roots as we interacted and socialized with each other.” The Olympics not only brought together the Korean Americans in the valley region together, but it also helped to expose other ethnic students to the Korean culture. “It was wonderful to see the Korean American community join together and be involved in such an active and energetic event,” Jeremy Ilejay, a junior from Granada Hills Charter high school said. “At first I felt out of place because I wasn‘t Korean, but I felt like I learned a lot about the culture in the end.” This cultural event took the VKAPA approximately four months to plan and execute. And despite the recent LAUSD budget crisis, the VKAPA was able to financially support the event through numerous donations and fund raisers from local organizations and churches. “I felt proud and felt a sense of accomplishment as I watched the many students compete and enjoy themselves while participating in the sports competition,” Jenny Park said. “Spending the many months of planning was all worth it. I also wanted to thank everyone, student representatives and the parents for all their hard work.”

[Student Reporters] Seniors Share a Vast Array of Feelings about their FutureAll

By now, seniors have gotten their acceptances and rejections from various colleges, scholarships, and other qualifications, and many are in a state of indecision, happiness, or sadness about what to do with their life during the next few years. While some are very optimistic about their future and goals, some feel dismayed about the harsh reality that is facing them. Overall, they have a mixture of feelings about the upcoming years. Many seniors feel optimistic and excited about their future years in college, to meet new people and have new experiences. “I want to get out of high school already,” states an anonymous senior, who is attending UC Berkeley coming September. “I can‘t wait until college to have different experiences and grow as a person.” He plans to major in chemistry and attend medical school after graduation. Similarly, many others feel that college will be a new haven for personal, social, and intellectual growth for them, where they can further their knowledge and explore their passions. In addition, some are also looking forward to post-high school as a means of turning their life around. Mark J., says, “I slacked off in high school. I never realized the importance of education until it finally hit me that my peers are off to great colleges with plans for their future, while I had none.” Mark plans to enroll in a community college and then transfer to a UC school, a viable option for many seniors to lessen the financial burden of their families. However, other seniors are disappointed by the results and options that they are faced with. “I worked hard in high school, and I was rejected by all my first choice colleges, and have to settle for one of my safety schools. I know not everyone can end up getting what they want, but it’s still tough to swallow,” states K.M (who wished to go by his initials). Likewise, many feel hard-hit by the copious amounts of rejections due to the increase in competition among students. K.M. notes, “I mean, I guess admissions were just really competitive this year. Too many qualified students mean that there will inevitably be less room.” Some, who did get accepted into colleges they desired, cannot attend the institutions due to financial reasons and have to settle for a more feasible option. Nick A., senior, states, “I got into my top choice, University of Pennsylvania, but unfortunately with the hard economic times, our family can‘t afford to pay all the money.” A good number of students are unsure about what their lives will be like in the future. Jamie P. states, “Time passed by so fast…this is almost surreal. I have no idea what I will major in at college, or what my future occupation will be like. I’m going to miss high school!” Like Jamie, many seniors feel nostalgic and difficult to believe that they will soon be full on adults going to college and living a primarily independent lives. Although many seniors hold different sentiments, plans, thoughts, and are placed in varying circumstances, a unifying idea characterizes all of them: the next few years will be critical and fundamental to what their future holds.

[Student Reporters] College Trip Awakens Sophomore's Dream

Airplane tickets? Check. Backpack? Check. College dream ready to be found? Check. For Corona del Mar High School's sophomore Grace Juyoung Kim who came to America two years ago she needed to check all these before she went on the East Coast Ivy League College Trip from Apri 6-11. "Through the college trip I wanted to set a better and clearer goal to go to a good college and to get motivation" Kim said. Kim and 25 other students and parents from different parts of Orange County visited Harvard MIT Brown Yale Columbia Princeton Upenn and Johns Hopkins University. "I think I achieved my goal and went further. I even decided to set my goals to go to a university specifically Upenn" Kim said. "If I didn't go [on this trip] I wouldn't have thought of this. My future was like an unclear mist but now after the trip it's really clear." Kim added more changes that occurred due to the college trip. "Before I wasn't confident but afterwards I think my way of studying changed and built my confidence" the sophomore said. "I learned that I have to really study harder now and manage my time to go to my dream school. Also I have to do more extracurricular activities." Kim said she would definitely suggest to others to go on a college trip because it awakened her dream. "During the short time I think I learned a lot so I suggest it" she said. "Before the trip I never dreamed of going to an IVY league college but it gave me a dream which made me want to try and positively changed many aspects of myself. I found happiness through the trip." She said she regrets that she wasn't able to go earlier and that her English is not as skillful as she wishes it to be. Because she went on the trip by herself unlike some students who brought their family along she found out how significant her family was to her. "As I separated from my family the time I was apart from them allowed me to realize the importance of my family and appreciation for them" Kim said. Kim mentioned she will not forget this trip and she wants her dream to come true. "By giving the college souvenirs to my friends and family and using them myself the colleges and memories of the trip really sank in" she said. She said the only downside of the trip was that its length was too short. "It was too short so I couldn't learn every little detail of each school" she said. "That was a pity." "Before I left my parents told me that before I become a junior [this college trip] is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a turning point in my life" Kim said. "The way the mind thinks is important for success because the results depend on how the person thinks and the trip helped me find the right way."

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