Modern Korea: North vs South, who wins?

Message Share Topic Printable Version Google Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks reddit Facebook MySpace Newsvine Furl Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic

Originally posted by King Kang of Mu

Koreans are just raised with beat-down culture that's all.  How many American teacher's gonna beat down a student because he's 5 mins late or didn't do he's homework or got D in the midterm or chewing a gum...... I had a gym teacher who brought an aluminum bat, and yes he used it.   That's just teachers, my middle school lunch hours were like stepping into the octagon, the heavy hitters always fought after school. Don't think you are safe at home either, depends on each family, some times your grandma slaps you.  You get lost in downtown walk into a Demo and you get gassed and then beat down.  It's tough to be a Korean, a lifetime training really.  You are born to roll with the punches. Just imagine, most of male teachers you have, two or more years of military service, how that would change the teacher-student relation.  It's a military culture the day you become a boy. So I wouldn't worry too much about their training.  Of course, it's probably not much different for North Korea.  If American teachers and parents start beating their kids, about one tenth of what Koreans do, their kids will read in kindergarten and start Calculus by 9th grade and become a world renown concert pianist and Stem Cell researcher by 24 . 

Yes you would. Military training is not merely about being able to survive teachers' violence. Military training is the ability for individuals to work with other soldiers efficiently and are disciplined enough to be able to listen to their superiors. The problem with the shooting games these days that Koreans are so good at does not necessary increase their military potential. It just means they know how to shoot. Being a soldier is not just abouting making a good shots, like many militants from third world countries. This is what makes soldiers different from militants. 

It may be off-topic, but the ideal education system is not brutal violence... as you have said. It is to find the balance between discipline and freedom. Look at how many Koreans sacrifice their time... only to realize that all their effort and suffering are mostly in vain. They sleep 4 hours (If you are lucky) and all they do is study. They don't have a life. And what do they get in the end? Many of them who studied like that don't even get decent wage. All they do is memorize and memorize, and they no longer have desire to learn. That's why so many Koreans come back home and start chatting or play online game for all the spare time they can afford. Korea' education system does not necessarily increase the educational efficiency, it decreases it. 

But I am not saying that Korean education system should be replaced with Western education. It will be disasterous. The concentration of Korean students are so huge compared to Western world that if everyone gets reasonable mark... there will be so many students for the post secondary and college/university students to handle. They need to cut a lot of people, and that means more difficult tests and exams.

I was unusually lucky one. I was homeschooled and entered first public school in my third grade. While others were facing teacher' violence, corruption and stupid peer pressure, I was actually taught to enjoy learning. I used internet and some books that actually explained why and how things happened. I learned English and Japanese from my dad and my grandmother. (I had a small extended family) By the time I got into the school, I protested the teachers that usage of whips were unacceptable, and would call police if I was touched in any way without any good reason. My dad was called to the office many times because some idoitic teachers were complaining that I was lacking "discipline".

They are the one to talk, for God's sake.

After some heated arguments, they decided not to care as long as my score was high. (These teachers usually would resign, since they no longer refused to see me, but they need pension before they resign.) I didn't join any extra curriculum that are academic related, which saved a lot of time. I went home after school while many others were busy with going to JEI and other crappy educational facilities. My parents saved money that way as well, giving half of the tution-worth money to me instead.  While others studied until midnight, I went to bed at 9. While people sat on the chari starting at meaningless and neverending list of possible questions for the final exam, I was playing sports and some online games. 

And look how it turned out. I study about 4 hours, work and sleep reasonably, and I am still above average. My parents don't have to see the teacher with bunch of bribes like other parents do. I accept everyone and get along with everyone, including school bullies and their victims. I correct teachers and enjoy learning by internet (Which includes this website). 

If people didn't bother about peer pressure and have the will to learn rather than inefficiently memorize until they become zombies, they would save time, keep up the grades, save money and most importantly, have a life. Why do you think there are so many Western people getting Nobel Prizes and make tons of discoveries? Are we truly learning, or are we limiting our learning enough to get a decent job and reputation? 

Some say Koreans are good at math compared to others, and it seems like we are. Many of the Korean immigrants ace math in elementary and junior high school. Some even ace in high school as well. 

But the true color shows up when they enter University. Many Koreans get amazing marks until they graduate high school. Academic related extra curriculums are not available for university courses. Koreans don't know how to study. They know how to memorize, but memorization and hard working ethic is no longer factor. It is now a basic requirement. They need to have good time management, and the ability to quickly understand the concept and apply their understanding to solve questions instead of finding the pattern. In another words, they need to know how to study effectively.

This may explain why Koreans graduate high school with decent to terrific marks, but can't even graduate university and beyond. So now I ask you this; Yes, we are working much harder than many of the Western students, but do we really have faster learning pace than Western students? 