Middle School

One of the big transitions that Korean children face is the move from elementary school into middle school.  When they graduate from sixth grade, they move from being the big kids to the small kids, as middle school in Korea is three years long (high school is also three years).

So the students go from 6th grade to 1st year middle school, and it is a worrisome time for many, in part because their tests are harder and test days are longer.  While some of our (private English academy) elementary school students do study a lot, especially as compared to some western students (many of my students go to 2-3 private academies after they finish their public school lessons, and some go to 5--piano, math, science, art, computer, Chinese, English, etc.), they are not as burdened as middle school students.

One of my 5th grade students told me last week that his hobby is sleeping, and, while it may sound funny, it is not so extreme as you might think, given these kids' work load.

 In one class yesterday I said, "You have one more week of vacation.  Enjoy it!"  (The new school year begins March 2nd.)

A girl replied, "Don't speak about it."  She was worrying about the anticipated workload of the upcoming new class.

Back to middle school.  Korea has been experiencing a national problem (and it has shown up on CNN) with school bullying.  In December of last year a student committed suicide after being bullied, and, in a strict crackdown, the authorities sent the two classmates to jail for 3 years.

Some of my students have told me that this (bullying) is a concern, as they know they are moving to the bottom of the school hierarchy.

I worry for them, but it seems that national attention may make the problem better.

Of course, it is not just as Korean problem. I have read about American students, as young as 12, getting arrested for behavioral problems.

Part of the problem in Korea, as perhaps in other countries, is the large class sizes, with 30-40 students in one classroom.  The news the other day said that Korea was going to start putting 2 teachers into each classroom (vs 1) in order to better monitor students.  Many teachers have come out against the measure, as they see the problem of bullying/behavior as being one of parental control, not schoolroom teaching.

I am glad that my maximum class size is 10 students, and that I can  know and observe each student.  It really does make a difference.