Post by SnobbyCoffeeAsian on Feb 23, 2015 21:23:14 GMT -6
There is a simple and almost internationally known image, a reliable face, for South Korea. This would be the hard working, dedicated, and intelligent citizens that inhabit the Asian country. These happy faced people, are the misconception of many upon many foreigners. There is one crippling problem these citizens face, an almost, 'one size fits all' education system. Or to be more exact, the almost addicted characteristic most students seem to have when it comes to studying and school. They seemingly take it as though their lives depended on those scores, those tests, those exams, in reality? Their society calls for those standards, forcing those scores to take on a role of do or die. Hagwons, private after-hours tutoring academies, dominate the late hours of the night, consistently throughout the school year. Not only is this damaging to the physical health of students, but it is also paralyzing to their mental state of mind, causing severe stress disorders, uncontrollable mood swings, and other various detrimental tendencies.
But to put it simply, the Koreans are not happy with this system, these government-led uniform curriculums and education system that is only seemingly latched on to only one end goal- college entrance exams. It is simply unacceptable. Reform, is swiftly taking over the country. Curfews have been set at 10PM help to ensure that students are not still studying in the late after hours of Hagwons, even having gone as far as to pay citizens bounties to turn hagwon violators, government employees stalking through the nights with a mission to patrol for such violators. But it wasn't quite enough, reformers were looking to make their schools more "American", taking to the ideal thoughts of giving students the ability to express their other talents rather then just book learning. Students work hard, but it was time for a change. They had to work smarter, not harder. In an attempt to 'test the waters', so to speak, Andrew Academy was born. Named after Kim Andrew, who started off as a mere English teacher for a cram school, worked with reformed to build a school to test a new educational system. Funded not only by Korean resources, it is funded by American, Europe, and other smaller country partners.
With the thought of change in mind, Kim Andrew was able to create a school that combined both principles of American education and Korean education, even going as far as to take students from their large country partners. While students from South Korea could get accepted into the school without the stress inducing entrance exam, there was a catch for foreign students. There were only 5-10 students from around the world to be accepted into the first year of Andrew Academy, to help a more diverse and cultured change bloom among the students, to create new methods. These students were hand picked by Korean, American, and European representatives, thoroughly checking and determining the students based on special qualities or aspects. These students, who will stand out in this new school, will each bring a special quality reformers are looking for.
The choice has been made. Are you ready?
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