Response to Myths About Korea:
Myth #1: (from Julia G.) Is it true that all Koreans are smart?
Not necessarily a myth, but a stereotype I'm sure many people have heard. I've usually heard this stereotype about Asians in general. I think a lot of this comes from the fact that there is a bigger emphasis on perfection and studying until your brain melts when it comes to education in many Asian countries. How many months a year does the average American go to school? About 9. In Korea? Year-round.
Myth #2: (from Julia G.) Are all Korean women good at painting nails?
Obviously it's not true, because if it were, then all Italians would be good at making pizza, all Japanese people would be good at martial arts, etc. Despite the fact that there are tons of Korean-run nail salons in the States, it's still ignorant to assume this. Though I would hope that all Korean women who work in nail salons would be good at painting nails.
Myth #3: (from Julia G. - the only student in my class) Is one expected to bow when meeting someone they have not met before?
Far as I know, yes. They tend to make an exception for us Westerners because bowing isn't our custom - we don't bow at Maple Bear, but I have seen the parents bow to Miss Lee at the front desk. It's a polite thing to do, but the Koreans I have encountered haven't expected it of me.
Results of Miss Tonya's Rules About Violence Poll:
She's got the right idea, but she needs to pick her battles. -- 50%
She's swimming upstream - boys love fake violence. -- 50%
Violence of any kind should not be permitted in the classroom. -- 0%
What's wrong with it? -- 0%
Quote of the Month:
Tara: (to my student) "What's up, Ethan?"
Ethan: "One plus one."
Yeah, Julia G. had a great time responding to your post the weekend that she spent with us. You asked a question and she enjoyed answering it. So what's up with everyone else out there? :)
ReplyDeleteFunny quote. Was Ethan misunderstanding what "what's up" means, or just being random? Do you get a lot of funny responses from the kids because they simply misunderstand and mix the words up?
I actually don't get too many funny responses. If they get confused they just make a confused expression, shake their head, or tell me they don't know. Sometimes they try to be clever and give me a funny response intentionally. Ethan answered this question seriously though, which is why I found it to be so funny.
ReplyDeleteAwww...that's not only funny, but cute.
ReplyDeleteWhat I want to know if...did you ever eat sannakji?!
I've been lucky enough to have several Korean scholars and professors in some of my classes - so it is interesting to see your perspectives as compared to theirs. One major point of interest - they don't consider North Koreans within any discussion of modern Korea. It is like they ignore the northern part of the peninsula altogether.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, you would love this program at Ohio State. The focus is on social studies and the infusion of global perspectives into all areas of teaching. Let me know if you want more info and I will send you a ton of stuff.
By the way -- you mom wants me to yell at you for not posting on a daily basis. Get to work you slacker.
Robert
Robert Mitchell
e-mail: mitchell.896@buckeyemail.osu.edu
Cally, if you want some stupid questions, I can comply, like Are all Korean women small and cute with black hair and is Korea as polluted as I've been told it is? I will NOT, repeat, NOT expect you to write every day. That's a huge burden. How do I know? Because that has been told to me ad nauseam and there often is not enough interesting stuff to keep your readers awake. Better short and sweet and when the spirit moves you. That's why your blog is so much fun and never boring. What do mothers know, anyway?
ReplyDelete