American Education Vs South Korea Essay

A few weeks ago, I was walking downtown, when this random came up to me and said “You in school? That’s good, that’s good. Education is important.” From the state of her hair and clothes, and the smell of her breath, I assumed she was homeless. I didn’t really pay much attention to her, because homeless people are so common in downtown Atlanta. I was just hoping that she wasn’t going to ask me for any money! After a while, I started thinking about what the homeless woman had said; “Education is important.” Growing up, I had always been taught that people who lived in the streets had been afforded the same opportunities as I had, but they had simply chosen to ignore them.

In the march of 2009, President Obama lauds Korea for education. “Our children –listen to this—our children spend over a month less in school than children in Korea every year,” Obama said. “That’s no way to prepare them for a 21st-century economy.” (Web) In the 2001, my parents decided to abroad me and my brother to USA, not because they think US education is better, but they do not see future in the Korea education. Korean education is cramming method of teaching, and US education is discovery method of teaching. I had been experience both education system, and both has cons and pros. Korean education system based a relative evaluation, though US education system based on absolute evaluation. I think US education system is better, because US system emphasis on level overall educational standard, nevertheless Korean education system emphasis on drafting the best student.

Each country has its own kind of education, and education always plays an important role in affecting students’ life and study on many aspects. Having received ten years of education in China and two years of education in the U.S. I would like to compare and contrast a few significant aspects of these two different kinds of educations. Knowing that no two education systems are the same, the differences between American education and Chinese education allow countries to take the essence and discard the dross through learning from each other so as to improve their own current education systems.

Marc Tucker, president and CEO of the National Center on Education and the Economy claims at South Korea(Choi), students have been taught that the only way to climb socioeconomic ladder and to find secure work is through examinations(Choi). Being taught to aim and achieve the impossible at a young age, the Koreans have attained some extraordinary achievements, including 100 percent adult literacy and are at the leading position on international comparative tests such as SAT(Choi). However, such accomplishments come with an expensive cost, students are constantly under immense stress to study, perform, and failures are no options for them. According to Elizabeth Shim, a freelance journalist who specializes on Korean affairs, the suicide rate in South Korea has become the leading cause of death with a horrifying number of 7.8 per 100000 for teenagers from age 15 to 24, and the number is still growing(Shim). This perfectly demonstrates the set of principles which the Korean people are trying to teach their next generation, work hard and diligently, which is the only road toward success. With no doubt, growing up with constant competitions, failures, and more competitions, the Korean model has taught the students how to work hard and how to persist(Ripley, 199). However, these statistics are merely numbers, how exactly would they

The issue of performing well in college has been a thoroughly debated topic for quite some time now; students and researchers alike have come together to discuss the matter, sharing their ideas and experiences. Whilst I’ve no business fancying myself any manner of expert on the issue, what I’ve come to understand in recent time is the sheer amount of importance one’s attitude truly has when it comes to schoolwork. Though this idea may be dismissed as laughable by some, we can see now perhaps more than ever that a positive, optimistic outlook can not only make college a more manageable, less stressful task, but also a task done well.

The United States is often seen as the world leader in many aspects of life. Throughout the world many different people see the United States as the leader in economy, technology, and democracy. However, one aspect the United States constantly trails behind is, unfortunately education. Whether it is K-12 education, or higher education, the United States is constantly ranked behind countries that are not as wealthy. Unfortunately, throughout time, they still have not improved, but many would argue that education has declined over time. For the United States to improve its educational mishaps, it must address the issue of the methods that are used in classrooms, the teacher vetting process, and improved funding for underperforming schools.

Japan and America have very different ways of teaching their students. Japan's school system specializes on morals and good behavior. America's schools focus on teaching a vide variety of subjects. For this assignment I will go over the differences in Japan's and America's schools. I will start off by describing America's way of teaching their students. Then Japans, and later state the pros and cons and do a self reflection.

No matter the profession one intends to pursue, a GOOD education plays a vital role in preparing students for the future. Adolescents learn through a variety of styles: conventional classroom teaching, extracurricular activities, friendships, and other methods. While teenagers gain valuable knowledge in terms of general information through personal hobbies, an educational institute most consistently acts as a source of academic instruction. However, many Americans do not fully understand the standards which educators must follow on a daily basis.

Currently, the United States is ranked 14th in its educational standard, 17th in educational performance and 24th in literacy (Mark). Compared to the rest of the world, we are behind countries like Poland, China, Finland and New Zealand. For a country that prides itself on its successful western society, what is stopping us from having an education system to match the standards we have put on the rest of our amenities. However, a solution is closer than it seems. According to Rasmussen College, there are 6.7 million students currently enrolled in online courses, therefore with an increasing number of students attending these classes, it is not a question on whether or not these classes will become normal, but when and how these classes will revolutionize our education system (Bird). Online courses offer students the ability to create an education based around their schedule, and allow students who may struggle or may not be able to attend a traditional school environment the chance to have an equal education. Not only can the students benefit from an online education environment, but both schools and professors can gain from an online system. Moreover, such courses can help create a global education system that allows anyone to have the same access to an education anywhere in the world as long as they have a connection to the internet.

The amount of stress students experience throughout their high school career is increasing leading to anxiety and/or depression. Anxiety is a reaction to stress which can become excessive and uncontrollable, when it does it has a negative impact. Anxiety disorders can affect a student’s academic success causing them to struggle. (“Anxiety Disorder Among Children”) About half of the people diagnosed with depression are also

Today’s schools have standardized promotion requirements in the hopes that all students will be promoted in fairness. Like most states, Ohio’s criteria for promotion in grade school include a passing grade in English composition, mathematics, science and reading. There are state-mandated benchmarks that must be met in all of these areas. The four levels of grading are: Advanced - student performs at a superior level; Proficient - student has a solid performance; Deficient - student’s performance is lacking; Failing - student’s performance is unsatisfactory. A student must be proficient or better in all areas to qualify for promotion. Also, if a student is not performing in the C-range or better in a majority of

This investigation explores the question “To what extent did the American foreign policy in southern Korea before the outbreak of the Korean War contribute to North Korea’s decision to invade the South?” To assess the degree of success to which the policy affected the communists’ decision to invade the South, various U.S. documents, especially the official U.S. government policy documents on Korea, will be evaluated for their effectiveness, as well as role of their role in Korea. This investigation will not only examine the extent to which the policies contributed to the invasion, but also consider the role of internal problems of the South and the military strengths of the North. This investigation will span the

The college educational experience is both highly challenging and demanding. In order to record the required level of success, students need to be at their “A game” both physically and psychologically. However, being on one’s “A game” from a psychological point of view is an uphill task considering the various obstacles that students face and the impact of their motivation and emotions. Some students are also exposed to conditions that have adverse effects on their psychological well-being and makes it difficult for them to develop the necessary level of self-esteem and motivation to succeed in college. After a sequence of failures, some students might even feel that their coursework is out of their control, and they cannot succeed,

In 2014, South Koreans spent $18 billion on Hagwon, private education to give their children better chances for their Suneung, Korean college entrance exam. It is three times amount of the average of OECD nations(Diamond). The Hankyoreh, South Korean newspaper, reported that “South Korea’s spending figure in 2014 marked the highest rate in the organization for a fourteen straight year and evidence of the country’s still heavy reliance on private spending for public education”(Diamond). “National educational spending as a percentage of South Korea’s $1trillion economy, from both public and private sources, is higher than in the United States and higher than the OECD average”(LYNCH). South Korean spends “three times as much as Americans on education, except for college”(LYNCH). Samsung Economic Research Institute, Ryu Ji Sung says “What distinguishes South Korea is the $200 billion parents spend on private educational institutes”(LYNCH). One of the students from Ewha school’s mom, Soo Ae Baek, spends about “$8,000 annually”(LYNCH) on private education for her daughter who is interested in science and math. “I always have to reduce living expenses. We spend around one-third of our total income on education. That is definitely a burden”(LYNCH)

In South Korea, social demand for normalization of public education and the burden of private education expenses has been constantly demanding for decades. Recently, government enacted the 「Special Act on the Promotion of Normalization of Public Education and Regulation of Prior Education」. Education policies such as normalization of public education have been promoted for a long time. The major reason for the enactment of such a regulatory law is that Korean society is intensifying competition in education system with the overheated educational passion of the older generation. Such an indiscriminate competition in education has led to the expansion of private tutoring to the extent of