What does it mean to be well educated?: A response to Alfie Kohn

Alfie Kohn came to USD last January to talk about what it means to be truly well educated.

      

     What does it mean to be well educated? My first experience with Alfie Kohn's simple yet complex question was last spring when he came as a guest speaker to the University of San Diego. At that time, my research fellowship required me to organize and plan for the Department of Learning and Teachings special events. My faculty advisor gushed about Kohn and made it clear to me that he was one of the biggest and most important names in the field of education today. After plenty of research and extensive readings, I found myself fascinated with his work and agree that he is one of the most knowledgeable and approachable writer and speaker in the field. Taking a look at his article titled "What does it mean to be well educated" (2003) answers many questions about education in a clear and precise manner.

1. Kohn's wife- After 29 years of schooling not including medical residency, Kohn's wife still cannot do basic arithmetic or use good grammar. Yet, what she is lacking is not preventing her from her professional success. Kohn's wife is a great example of the question of whether or not our schooling is flawed. If someone can go through such extensive schooling and still have trouble with the basics does that mean we have failed as educators? I believe the answer to this question is no and Kohn follows up by providing many great examples.

2. smart or book smart?- Kohn states that he has realized how many truly brilliant people cannot spell or punctuate. Does this diminish their value as a professional? Absolutely not. I agree with Kohn when he says that their insights and discoveries change the shape of their fields. Who cares if they can't use an apostrophe correctly to save their lives? As a journalist and writer myself, I admit that I am not the best at grammar. Every great writer still has an editor that focuses in on the minute mistakes that harm our writing but not our ideas. As an ESL teacher, I am still reluctant to say that I know all of the rules of grammar even though I teach many grammar points on a daily basis. Yes, I know more than most of my peers about grammar terminology, but that is just because of using it on a daily basis not because I'm smart. Of course knowing the foundations of any subject will help you to succeed, however if you still have the will to learn and challenge yourself every day towards learning something new you are on the pathway towards being well educated. We can pick up a dictionary and check our spelling and use a calculator to correct our math. Does that mean that we are dumb or just using our minds to focus on more meaningful things than the basics?

3. What is well educated?- How many times have you encountered someone that you think is smart because they know alot of names, ideas, and facts about a particular topic? In my personal history in life this person was an ex boyfriend. We would often talk together about his ability to recall a ton of random information and today I still wish I could recall names and cool facts like he can. Yet, he stated to me that I was smarter because I could talk in depth about the few topics I knew and could write about them better than he could. So who is smarter? One of my favorite quotes from Kohn's article on this topic states that familiarity with a list of words, names, books, and ideas is a uniquely poor way to judge who is well-educated. He says "to be well educated then is to have the desire as well as the means to make sure that learning never ends." We have to have the desire to keep learning in any context and to have the means or ability to do so. Thus in my opinion someone that is not well educated doesn't care or take the time to learn themselves or they do not know about or have access to resources that would make learning possible. With the internet I find it hard to believe that people in my generation don't know how to take control of their own learning and I believe they are easily distracted by the plethora of information available to them.

This article has brought me back to my latest post about whether or not getting a Master's of in Education in TESOL is worth the effort in our failing economy. To work at in the university setting I am required to have a Master's degree, however I strongly feel that the reason I have developed good skills as a teacher is because of my past work experience and observations of teachers in the field. My jobs in Korea and Japan are what have allowed me to make the connections and skills I have today. My future diploma has contributed to much of my background knowledge in the field and will allow me to begin applying to higher end jobs. But just because I have a Master's degree does not make me well educated. The program and many life experiences have inspired and equipped me to continue learning which is what makes me "well educated."

If you have any questions or comments about "What does it mean to be well educated?:A response to Alfie Kohn  " please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com 

    Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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Getting a Master's of Education in TESOL: is it really worth it?

My first job as an ESL teacher in Korea has helped me to secure more job employment than my Master's degree.

 

       Earning a master's degree program in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) can open many doors to your future as an educator, but does all the hard work and student loan debt really pan out in our failing economy? This is the question that has been ringing in my mind as my last semester of graduate school begins. With such a tough job market that has proven tough for many graduates, the line between reality and our dreams can become easily blurred. Many students are now entering into master's programs simply because they couldn't find their desired job right out of undergrad. They are sucking their parents dry and taking on enormous student loan debts only to graduate and still be jobless because they have no valuable work experience.
       There are always jobs out there for ESL teachers at many local language academies anywhere in the U.S. They usually pay between $18-$25 per hour and will offer 25-35 hours per week.  Craigslist had a total of 4 job postings last week alone for ESL teachers at language academies in Downtown San Diego. These jobs will pay some of your bills and allow you to survive, but most of them offer no health insurance or benefits. In addition, most ESL teachers starting out in California are working at 2-3 different language academies because of the limited or varying hours. Working a split shift from 9 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm is not unexpected for any local language school.
     ESL teachers with a master's degree have gone through intensive training as educators and will be able to apply for jobs at local universities and community colleges. However, they need plenty of experience first and so many young educators have to start out at language academies and then work their way up. Getting a salaried job at a local university right after receiving your master's is not going to happen. Most teachers work a minimum of 1-8 years as part time adjuncts at several community colleges and language academies before they ever get offered a full time faculty position with benefits. This makes my road towards becoming a full time ESL professional in California extremely difficult.
     My advice to anyone that wants to work full time as an ESL teacher in the university setting is to start teaching immediately at any school that will offer you a job. No matter how low the pay is, your experience as a teacher is invaluable. A master's degree in our society means nothing anymore. Many universities such as Miramar Community College will offer part time Instructional Assistant (I.A.) positions that will allow you to work as a teachers aid for 5-12 hours a week. Working alongside a full time faculty member allows you to get to know the university and the university to get to know you. This is my second semester as an I.A. at Miramar. Faculty member and Department Chair, Sheryl Gobble stated "the position is like a semester long job interview." This allows new teachers the opportunity to get their foot in the door for a part time adjunct position.
      The problem with my generation is that they all believe they will get  amazing salaried positions right out of college which is when they need to get their heads out of the sky and face the real world which is our lagging economy. Even worse, its easier to move abroad to Japan where an ESL teacher that holds a Master's degree can make $50,000 with six weeks paid vacation and a housing allowance making those that wish to stay in California feel torn and invaluable. The best thing you can do to achieve any dream job in this market is to work; and by working that means even at Mc Donald's or your neighborhood grocery store. There is an old fashion saying "it takes money to make money" and I believe it should read "it takes a job to get a job."
       So yes, in the long run getting a master's in TESOL is worth all of the hard work and high tuition costs if you are committed towards working and establishing yourself as a teacher over several years before getting a salaried position here in California. After gaining more experience in language academies and international contexts dream jobs at UCSD and local community colleges will be someday be attainable.

If you have any questions or comments about "Getting a Master's of Education in TESOL: is it really worth it?" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com 

    Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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Opinion: Understanding Korea's drinking culture

A standard hite ad located in the Korean subway.

    "Teacher my religion is alcohol!" Yes, a  mature male adult from my school blurted this statement out in perfect English while in class one day! Of course I am so used to the culture here now, that a statement like this would not boggle my mind. Neither would witnessing 2 drunk girls fall asleep on a sidewalk at 3 am and watching no one do anything to help them. Nor would watching men stumbling and hiccuping on the sidewalk at 10am in the morning.  So what is the Korean drinking culture like, and why is it so different from Western culture?
    In short, drinking in Korea is not a shameful act. And you can pretty much picture all of Korea like a giant Las Vegas; you can even drink on the streets. In fact there is no such thing as alcoholism here. Many of my students and Korean friends have never heard of such a thing. After explaining the definition of alcoholism to my friends, some of them replied "This must be a made up story."
    I agree that alcoholism is a proven psychological and sometimes physical addiction to a substance. But I can also understand why Koreans don't believe this is a true disease. Why you may ask? Because drinking is such a useful skill in Korea.

Korean drinking games are a staple when hanging out with good friends.

Drinking can be useful for many things in Korea, including some of the following:

1. getting a job/making a business deal- Going out to get pissed drunk with a potential boss or business client will definitely help your chances at getting hired or making a deal in Korea. In fact, you should never reject another drink from your boss. Many of the older generations in Korea see drinking with colleagues or partners as a time to bond and form true relationships. If you end up puking on the sidewalk and passing out, this will be no problem the next morning at work. You will probably just get a funny nick name and a raise!

2. apologizing- One day in class my students were talking about how they prefer to go out drinking when they have to make an apology. They apologize and move on immediately to make new memories. Apparently the middle aged generation of 25-30 years old is having trouble using this technique with younger generations. The younger generations roughly from ages 18-25 prefer having a public apology with many of their friends act as a witness to the persons testimony of faith.

3. networking- Koreans don't talk to strangers; not even when they are sitting on the bus or the subway bored out of their minds. But if Koreans are drunk, they can talk to anybody they want! Not many Koreans try to talk to me during the day, but at night time around 10pm many of them are drunk already and always approach me to practice their English. I like to call this the the Waygookin Drunken Affect. Waygookin
(외국인) means foreigner in Korean, and almost all Koreans use bad English and say "I am very drunken" when they start speaking to foreigners late at night.

     Yes, I understand that these skills are not universally accepted in Korea. Many companies are starting to crack down on peer pressure related to drinking. And many more are starting to enact strict policies in favor of Koreans who do not accept drinking as a part of their lifestyle.
    But I see this change happening very slowly in Korea, and having very little affect on most of the population's drinking. I even teach two entire classes of Tell a Story at my school, which use vocabulary and stories strictly pertaining to drinking. Yes, I teach my students words such as hangover, wasted, and buzzed and it is a requirement! Check back soon for another article about this class. Till then, happy soju time!


If you have any questions or comments about "Opinion: Understanding Korea's drinking culture"  please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com
  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.


  

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Opinion: North Korea attacks- time to stock up on ramen and register at your Embassy

    Yesterday at  2:34 I was enjoying my casual workout at the gym in my apartment. Little did I know that North Korea had fired dozens of artillery shells at Yeonpyeong Island nearby the coastline of Seoul and even closer to Incheon. Usually I stay away from talking about politics, but this case deems an exception.
    With no t.v. in my apartment, and a busy afternoon, I did not hear about the attack on South Korea's island until returning to work at 8 pm. The lobby was filled with students watching the news on our king sized plasma. Everyone here is a little bit nervous, but there have been no alterations to our daily routines.
    However, one student did mention that his mother called him and told him to go to the store and buy tons of ramen noodles. Like any good son would do, he immediately went to E-mart and stocked up. To his surprise he was not the only Korean in Seoul doing so. He noted that there was definitely a dent in the ramen section of the grocery store. 
      Besides an unusual spike in ramen sales and a drop in the economy there is no noticeable change in daily life in Seoul. Everyone is still swarming to Starbucks and Coffee Bean to get their caffeine fix for their long day. And the soju is still flowing strong from every drinking fountain. Of course people are a little bit nervous, I for one registered online with my embassy last night. This is a necessary precaution that all foreigners living in Korea should do immediately.



Above is a CCTV video of yesterday's attack on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea.

If you have any questions or comments about the attack on Yeonpyeong Island please leave them in the comment box below or send an email to www.goneseoulsearching.com 


  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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