Educating U.S. teachers about Korea

While the number of Koreans born and raised abroad keeps growing, the lack of heritage knowledge in second generation Korean-Americans, Korean-Canadians, Korean-British and Korean-Australians is a growing concern. The disparity between physical and environmental appearances could elicit a sense of rootlessness and evoke an identity crisis, or alternatively, result in a whole generation of half-Koreans annulling their heritage.

It is precisely these issues that the Korea Academy for Educators is attempting to tackle in America. In an e-mail interview with The Korea Herald, Mary Connor, the director of the organization, discussed such problems and outlined her main concerns as the limited amount of Korean knowledge in American textbooks and the lack of accuracy in the existing syllabus.

The Korea Academy for Educators is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Los Angeles, dedicated to informing American educators about Korean history and culture and the general Korean-American experience in order to promote cross-cultural understanding.

"Our Executive Director Susanna Park`s daughter was assigned to read `So Far From the Bamboo Grove (The Yoko Story).` She had been educated by her parents about this period of history and found the experience of reading the Yoko story so painful that she not only refused to read the book but also refused to return to school," began Connor.



"In American courses on the history and culture of other countries, China and Japan are well covered, but Korea is not. This is one of the main reasons for my commitment to educating Americans about Korea. I want to help fill that void and ensure that Korean history and culture are correctly taught in American classrooms," explained Connor.

"In most cases, Korea is mentioned only in the context of the Korea War. Most teachers know very little beyond that, and some sense that North Korea is a threat to the United States. However, most do not know that it was the United States that divided Korea. They do not know of Korea`s magnificent achievements or its rich culture," said Connor.

More concerned with Korea`s accomplishments, Connor insisted on the need to further promote Korea as opposed to simply correcting inaccurate details.

"Many Koreans appear to be preoccupied with accuracy. I understand that Koreans want Americans to know that Dokdo belongs to Korea and that the Sea of Japan should be called the East Sea. Accuracy is important, but Americans need to know about Korean history and culture first. For instance, Koreans should work to educate Americans about the Japanese colonial period, the role of the U.S. in Korean history and the fact that we divided a country that had been unified for centuries," said Connor.

"Korea has achieved greatness in many areas and this is what should be emphasized. It is so much more important to know about Korea`s technological and artistic achievements and to inform the West about individuals such as King Sejong, one of the greatest leaders in world history. Lessons should be developed to compare King Sejong with Western monarchs. I think people throughout the world will be truly inspired as they learn about him," also said Connor.

Positioning KAFE`s works within the larger picture of a globalized world, Connor also spoke on the duty of educators to respond to the changing demographics of today`s boundary-less world.

"In Los Angeles alone, hundreds of different languages are spoken. The world is here. The challenge for educators is to know enough to respond effectively and accurately to the needs of each child. If teachers did not learn about certain cultures from their own educations, it is up to the school districts to provide excellent professional development opportunities to remedy that situation. This is why KAFE was created. We provide the essential information and the best resources available to teach about Korea history with accuracy and sensitivity," said Connor.

A teacher from South Pasadena was quoted as saying "this extraordinary seminar on Korean culture and history has certainly enhanced my teaching of my Korean-American students and improved cultural understanding. Having a better understanding of the cultural context of my students` lives, and the Korean-American immigrant experience has helped me in my efforts to meet their academic, social and emotional needs and to be a resource for all of the other teachers in my school."

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"The challenge is to teach every region of the world in a meaningful and engaging way," summarized Connor.

KAFE is not simply an organizer of workshops and programs. Alongside their seminars and talks, they have also made practical influences in the teaching syllabus. Returning to the problems with the book "So Far From the Bamboo Grove," Connor related how upon hearing of the book`s inaccuracies at a hearing in Sacramento in February this year, publishers deeply apologized and the book was taken off of the recommended reading list in California and several other states.

"If KAFE had sufficient funding, we could go to the districts that still use the book and educate them about its problems. The period of Japanese occupation is accurately treated in books such as Richard Kim`s "Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood" and Linda Sue Park`s "When My Name was Keoko,"" said Connor.

In regards to the support shown from Korean-Americans, Connor remarked the support to be "improving. Everyone seems to appreciate what I am doing, and Korea-Americans have been very generous in many ways, but KAFE needs more funding than we currently receive. I am hoping that Korean-Americans will begin to produce more support for KAFE. With more staff, we will be able to extend our programs to reach more teachers and to have a greater impact."

Susanna Park is one of Korean-Americans who was impressed by Connor`s devotion and decided to join her crusade.

"Since starting this work, I have strongly felt Ms. Connor`s dedication to promoting the understanding of Korea`s culture, despite the lack of interest from the Korean-American community. Perhaps it is the future duty of 1.5- and second-generation Koreans to become more involved. Ms. Connor`s genuine interest in teaching about Korea, without any personal interest or benefits, is truly admirable," said Park, a Korean-American and executive director of KAFE.

Organizations such as KAFE are, indeed, aiding the development of the Korean image abroad as well as providing a heritage foundation for second generation half-Koreans. Though the Korean government provides funding for KAFE and likewise associations, with the law looking likely to soon allow dual-citizenship, a stronger governmental involvement needs to be considered.

(jyan2787@googlemail.com)





By An Ji-yoon