Teaching in Atlanta and Korea: Students are students, no matter geography or mythology
Here is a great essay by former APS teacher Cindy Lou Howe, who is now an education and diversity consultant in Atlanta. She taught in Atlanta Public Schools from 2003-2007 and in South Korea from 2008-2012.
By Cindy Lou Howe
As Atlanta kids returned to the classroom last month, some friends and I gathered at an Inman Park taqueria for lunch. Two of us are former Atlanta Public School teachers and two of us are currently teaching. I am a former APS teacher who just returned from teaching overseas in South Korea.
As we talked, we discovered striking similarities in our teaching experiences in the U.S. and South Korea. Despite being separated by different cultures, education systems and continents, our experiences dispelled many myths about America’s so-called “failing” public education system and South Korea’s education “model.”
Myth #1: “Korean parents are more committed to their child’s academic success.”
Among industrialized nations, South Korea’s parents routinely top per-child education spending, shelling out $1.8 billion annually to supplement public school curriculum with expensive after-school academies. In contrast, my friends and I lamented our Atlanta students who often come to school without even paper or a number two pencil. For these kids, they are literally missing the tools necessary to succeed.
During my years in APS, I worked at a school whose zip code produced the most prison inmates in the state. My students faced seemingly insurmountable odds; poverty, drugs and crime. That said, when their parents were highly involved in their learning, despite the difficult circumstances, my students performed well.
In Korea, many of my wealthy students also struggled. Eventually I realized that in terms of learning outcomes, Korean parents who work long hours to provide a luxurious lifestyle are frequently as absent as a single parent working two minimum wage jobs in Atlanta. Time and time again we see that parental involvement is the foundation for student success.
Myth #2: “The quality of teachers at overseas schools is higher.”
In his 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama praised South Korea’s education system and its teachers’ role as “nation builders.” Indeed, Korean culture has historically viewed teachers with respect. In the West, many believe that a private school education trumps a public one. Combine these two factors, and it is not surprising that a friend of mine assumed that Korea’s elite international schools attract the world’s best teachers.
That was not my experience. While working in one of Korea’s top independent schools, most of my colleagues were exiles from American classrooms. Frankly speaking, many would not survive one day in an Atlanta classroom. Teaching abroad, I was grateful for the training and accountability I learned at APS because I knew how to create compelling lessons despite a dearth of resources, and I could identify struggling students and support them.
Ultimately, there is no latitude or longitude of teacher quality. Although many thousands of miles and dollars separate Atlanta public school and Korea private school classrooms, parents on both sides of the Pacific should know that you are essentially getting the same teacher.
Myth #3: “Korean children must be really smart and well-behaved.”
Finally, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from teaching, is that, simply put, kids are kids. There is no geographical or racial bias that yields “good” or “bad” children. Just as some of my Korean students struggled with basic math concepts, I saw students excel across all academic disciplines in southwest Atlanta.
All of this is not to say that America can’t learn a thing or two from South Korea. For instance, among the 15-year-olds in 61 countries who participated in the most recent PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) tests in reading, math and science, Korea ranked 1st, 2nd and 4th, respectively. More importantly, 97 percent of Korean 25- to 34-year olds graduate from high school. Of course, the Korean model yields less admirable outcomes, too. In my experience, many Korean students lack creativity and basic problem solving skills. The upshot? Once again, American and Asian education systems can learn from each other.
We, as Atlantans and Americans, need to stop disparaging our schools. Yes, huge challenges persist, but the good news is that children inherently want to learn. As a new academic year is underway, let’s support our kids, our fellow parents and teachers. Let’s celebrate our strengths while being open to successful foreign models. For the first time in 10 years, I am not be in a classroom this fall, but I still believe in the transformative potential of Atlanta Public Schools.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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63 comments Add your comment
Digger
September 5th, 2012
8:42 pm
High IQ’s are most unwelcome in the teaching profession. The rank and file low IQ teacher is very uncomfortable with the unflattering contrast.
Lee
September 5th, 2012
10:19 pm
Tell me, just what does a “diversity consultant” do, anyway? Other than tell companies how to discriminate against white people, that is.
JSA
September 6th, 2012
12:37 am
“As we talked, we discovered striking similarities in our teaching experiences in the U.S. and South Korea. Despite being separated by different cultures, education systems and continents, our experiences dispelled many myths about America’s so-called “failing” public education system and South Korea’s education “model.”
As a veteran teacher who has taught in the U.S. for over 10 years, and abroad I think that Cindy makes many fair and valid points. It is no secret that the educational system in the U.S is flawed and in need of immediate restructure and change. However, we often hear people glorifying foreign educational systems such as South Korea’s system without an in depth look at the reality of why or at what expense the country has seen success. I think Cindy pulls out fundamental similarities that are necessary in both America and South Korea that impact education such as parent involvement, and geographical and racial make-up not yielding good or bad kids. Instead of picking apart each statement it is empowering to me as a teacher to stop making excuses, glorifying other models, and build on the strengths and similarities between the two. Identify what we can build on and take ACTION! This is a refreshing change from the norm of bashing American school models and teachers. Do we have a long way to go and a big mess to fix? Certainly, but the key is to identify what we know works and build from there.
bilbo799
September 6th, 2012
7:28 am
@ Myth 1: Korean parents are more involved.
Nothing in this “great” essay de-bunks this myth at all. Some wealthy Korean parents are more absent than single parents in the US — that says nothing about parental involvement in Korea overall.
@ Myth 2: Korean teachers are better.
You’re comparing expatriate teachers in Korea to “normal” teachers in the U.S. Not a real comparison.
@ Myth 3: Korean students are better.
The numbers don’t lie. To say Korean schools have things to learn from schools in south Atlanta is just silly. Maybe they could learn how bad it can get.
living in an outdated ed system
September 6th, 2012
11:45 am
For this one exception, I am back, and have decided to post a comment to one of @Maureen’s blog posts because of the great misinformation that Cindy Lou Howe has plastered onto the Atlanta education community. Simultaneously, I have also asked one of my close friends in Seoul to ghost write another rebuttal to Ms. Howe’s essay, so you will not only hear it from me, but from a South Korean citizen!
My wife is from Seoul and I have spent a considerable amount of time in that country. As such, I found the tone of the article very ethnocentric and, quite frankly, disrespectful and most definitely not representative of the culture nor the proven education system in that country!
So again, we take the perspective of ONE PERSON in South Korea and make sweeping generalizations without any empirical data stating that South Korean teacher quality is not superior to the United States or that their system is not better than ours. Yes, kids are kids, but their children are raised in an environment that emphasizes education, and, while not perfect by any means, is churning out students who are far more prepared for the 21st century than our children are. I also know that at our elite colleges, you will see droves of Asians in the graduating classes. And guess what? They take their knowledge back to their home countries and don’t have any incentives to remain here, thus making their countries better positioned in the battle for economic competitiveness and innovation. Let me remind everyone of a few tenets of South Korean education that has been proven through countless research studies:
1. Teachers are revered in South Korea and selected from the top 5% of their class, but are also paid comparably to doctors and engineers! Source: GSV Advisors, “American Revolution 2.0”
2. MEGASTUDY Teachers in South Korea can early upwards of $4M per year!
3. Overall, parents in South Korea more committed to their child’s education, and will spend countless dollars on supplemental learning services outside of the traditional classroom.
– A quote: “Americans spend 33% of their money on housing and 2% on supplemental education. In Asia, families spend 10% on housing and 15% on supplemental education.”
4. The South Korean government is far more progressive in embracing technology in the classroom. Not only did they create a fund to launch and test educational games (called “functional games” in S. Korea), but they also set a goal to make ALL textbooks digital by 2015!
I could go on and on about the comparisons. The bottom line is this. I am sorry that Ms. Howe did not have the most favorable experience while in South Korea. But to come back and write this essay and say what she said in her last two paragraphs, is not only disrespectful to another culture, but clearly oblivious to the well known fact that South Korea and other countries, are eating our lunch when it comes to public education!
I look forward to having another person from Seoul refute Ms. Howe’s assertions point by point.
Really amazed
September 6th, 2012
2:06 pm
Parents in GA and the rest of the USA deserve to know the truth about public education in America!!!!
bilbo799
September 6th, 2012
2:33 pm
@ Maureen
I know it’s unlikely you’ll respond to this comment. But I want to ask you two things.
First, what makes this essay so “great” in your view? Some blog posts don’t contain your editorial comments on the quality of your content, so there must be some reason (one that is unclear to me) that this essay is identified as “great.”
Second, there is absolutely nothing in terms of empirical analysis or data that supports the argument in this essay. You have reiterated the need for empirical studies and robust research on issues in the past — why does this topic get a free pass (and actually an endorsement as being “great”)? I hope your personal biases aren’t beginning to dominate this blog.
mystery poster
September 6th, 2012
3:12 pm
OK, I know it’s cheesy but I’ll say it anyway:
I read this article and I couldn’t help think about little Cindy Lou Who, who was no more than 2.
Maureen Downey
September 6th, 2012
3:16 pm
@Bilbo, I am puzzled at folks questioning this essay, which I found interesting and well written. This essayist is presenting her own views after several years of teaching in Korea. It is extraordinary to me that folks who never taught in Korea are posting that she’s wrong. Wrong about what? What she saw? What she experienced? What she felt about her own students?
If you read this blog a lot, you will note that I run all sorts of things, from studies to personal essays to news stories. Personal essays tend to provoke a lot of comments, whether on blogs or in print. People respond to personal experiences so I try to run them now and then.
You cite bias. Of course, there is bias — it is bias to choose one piece to run and not another. It is bias to drive one car and not another. But here’s the rub. My overarching bias is toward interesting pieces that will get folks talking and thinking. That is my guiding principle.
I’m a former features editor at two newspapers and I apply the same criteria to choosing pieces here as I did for those sections: They have to be interesting.
Have to run as I am on deadline for my Monday education page.
Maureen
bilbo799
September 7th, 2012
8:59 am
@ Maureen
You’re puzzled that people are “questioning” this essay? Would you be less puzzled if everyone just thought it was perfect?
I never say that she is necessarily “wrong.” It’s just that nothing she says supports her conclusions.
It’s also quite irrelevant that some people who disagree with her have “never taught in Korea.” What if I said — without citing any support — that private school teachers are better than public school teachers in Georgia. Anyone can see that such a generalization is meaningless — but by your logic, the only people who could have legitimate opinions would have been students in private and public schools. How silly and illogical.
Maureen Downey
September 7th, 2012
9:10 am
@bilbo, But that is not what she said. She spoke about teachers at her school. Still think it is odd that people attempt to negate her own impressions of her own experiences. (And please note that some other teachers who taught abroad posted that they had similar experiences.)
I am often struck by the fact that people refuse to accept anything that challenges from their world view. There is a vocal contingent on this blog that contends APS can do nothing right. So, if a teacher comes on to say that she was trained well there, she is denounced. I have had many teachers tell me that APS provided some of the best training they ever got, especially in math. And a few of those teachers quit the system in disgust over other things, but still will praise the district on its professional development.
Nothing is ever as simple as some folks want to believe, especially in education where a class that fails one child can serve another quite well, where a school that produces dropouts also produces scholars who go on to Brown and Yale.
Maureen
bilbo799
September 7th, 2012
8:24 pm
@ Maureen
Thanks for your responses. But you seem to have misread my comments, the essay, or both.
You claim “she spoke about teachers at her school,” but none of the three “myths” the essay tries to debunk are specific to her school or her experiences. The debunked “myths” are about Korean and American/Atlanta students generally, not about any specific experience. Just read how each “myth” is worded.
You also write, “Still think it is odd that people attempt to negate her own impressions of her own experiences.” But as I’ve said already, my issue with this essay is not that I necessarily disagree with the conclusions in the essay. I’ve said repeatedly — and you’ve not disputed — that none of the generalizations cited in the essay support the essay’s conclusions. Again, the problem is not that I disagree with her necessarily — the problem is that the essay has nothing to back up her ideas.
Finally, I agree with your statement on simplicity. That’s exactly why essays like this one are unhelpful. They are based on simplistic, overbroad, conclusory statements that simplify diverse populations in Korea and the U.S. by presenting them as homogenous monoliths.
Heika
September 10th, 2012
2:33 pm
Well well, the person with an actual name and face at the top of the page comes into the thread, and everyone scatters like roaches. Typical. You people suck.