In Se-Woong Koo’s article “An Assault Upon Our Children,” Koo’s asserts that with South Korea's infamous education system, it is taking a toll on students' mental state. He supports this claim by first commenting “Among youth South Koreans who confessed to feeling suicidal in 2010, an alarming 53 percent identified inadequate academic performance as the main reason for such thoughts”(Koo). In The Smartest Kids in the World, Amanda Ripley reports “The system had become overly competitive leading to an unhealthy preoccupation with test scores and a dependence on private tutoring academies”(Ripley 60). Because of the competitive education, students do not have enough time to find themselves and have more resentment to other students who are getting …show more content…
She develops this claim by first reports “For a typical high school student, the official school day may end at 4 pm, but can drag on for grueling hours at private cram institutes or in-school study hall, often not wrapping until 11 pm”(Hu). In The Smartest Kids in the World, Amanda Ripley reported her friends experience of being an exchange student in Korea, “He had tried to keep his mind open,but he dreaded those days at Namsan, sitting for six hours with students too stressed-or exhausted- to talk for more than five minutes between classes,then taking the bus home alone”(Ripley 66). Because of students studying till midnight, they get the majority of their sleep during classes and it is such of a common occurrence that even teachers will allow students to sleep during class.And finally, Hu reports how planes are not allowed to fly during their college entry exams because they fear it will distract them from the test. Hu’s purpose in writing this piece is to inform readers of the social effects from South Korea's education in order to build awareness. She establishes a concerned tone, as seen when she describes “And there are social consequences,too. Many parents say they chose not to have more children because supporting all the cramming simply costs too much”(Hu). By using a concerned tone,, the author makes clear that not …show more content…
In order for South Korea to get the best students, the education system started to drown the students in stress and competition. High School students are pressured into studying for a test that will decide their entire life, This test will affect what job a person can get, what friends they are able to make and who they will be allowed to marry. In The Smartest Kids in the World, Amanda Ripley reports “This competition followed very explicit rules: score above a certain number on the college exam, and you were automatically admitted to a top university. Forever after, you would be paid more than others, even for doing the same work”(Ripley 59). It is clearly evident why student are solely focused on studying and spend their after school hours at cram schools, hagwons. Ripley reports that “South Korea’s hagwon crackdown is one part of a larger quest to tame the country’s culture of educational masochism”(Ripley). South Korea is not effectively changing the education system because they are just shutting down cram schools and they are not adjusting the educational system itself. If the South Korean government does not change its education system, the vicious cycle will still remain and it will not only hurts the students physically, but also mentally. If South Korea does change their education effectively, South Korean students will no longer treat education as the grim
As Source A stated, “forced schooling: six classes a day, five days a week, nine months a year, for twelve years.” Source B also outlines the strict scheduales in schooling by presenting a bell scheduale that is followed every day in a public school. Both Source A and Source B present arguments about the ridig structure of the school system. There is very little individuality within school days, students are required to be in every class and repeat these expections for twelve years. As Source E adds, “nothing of what it costs to repair the damage that these angry and resentful prisoners do every time they get a chance.” Source E is quick to compare America’s school system to America’s prison system in that public school presents structured days in oder to promote conformity to all. These constant and long school says that America’s kids are exposed to every day hardly promote creativity, free time, or individuality for children. Instead, it promotes conformity and teaches kids to be able to sit for eight hours a day bored out of their
Firstly, for selfish reasons, the article states that although raising a child may be expensive and difficult, it will be the most rewarding thing for the couple. It gives the example of holding a newborn baby in your arms and having love for them. This does not include mothers that do not feel anything for their children right after they are born. The article does not consider the mothers that may have trouble bonding with their child immediately or at all. Another reason for having children is the desire your family to continue. This reason might not be a priority for everyone. Having a successor may not be important for every
In The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way, Amanda Ripley investigates the education systems of three of the world’s highest performing countries offering insight into the components necessary to raise education in the United States from its current mediocre place on the world stage. By involving three teenage American exchange students, Ripley gained access to firsthand experience of the familiar US system as compared to the highly competitive systems in Finland, South Korea and Poland. The author proposes that, although the systems vary greatly, commonalities in cultural valuation of education, rigor and teacher quality have made students from these three countries the “smartest kids in the world.”
She also appeals to the ethos at the very end of the speech by identifying three separate and conflicting social classes that are based on intelligence and wealth. She describes the first class as being “intelligent and wealthy members of the upper classes who have obtained knowledge of birth control and exercise it in regulating the size of their families.” She then compares the highest class to the mid-level group by saying they too are “equally intelligent and responsible” but can not gain knowledge and therefore can not plan their families. By comparing the first two alone it appeals to ethics as two groups with equal knowledge and wealth should both have knowledge and control over the size of their families. She ties in the last group by saying that the lowest group is “irresponsible and reckless” and states that this group reproducing in large numbers is bad for society as it will spread disease and the increase in size of this “feeble-minded” group.
Also, students will be up later finishing homework and socializing on their phones with friends. Although schools will now have been adjusted to fit with students sleep cycles, that does not mean that the students will actually get more sleep. Also, people do not think of the consequences such as conflicts with transportation.
There are many factors which contribute to the success of these “super-achievers.” Many of them are willing to limit social and leisure activities in order to allocate more time in studying and preparing their school work. In a recent study directed by California sociologist Sanford Dornlush, it indicates Asian students spend an average of four more hours a week in homework than other groups. Furthermore, they
Sanger explains that people who aren’t fit to care for a child shouldn’t bare children. She goes on to explain that the less irresponsible and reckless people there are “the less immortality shall exist”. Sanger wants to stop the disease known as over population at the source which is in the hands of women controlling the number of offspring they bring into the world. The argument in the speech is that using contraception doesn’t lower morals, when actually not using contraception is immoral because irresponsible people are “filling the earth with misery, poverty, and disease” (Sanger
Soh, C. S. (2001). South Korea. In C. R. Ember & M. Ember (Eds.), Countries and Their Cultures (
Due to the lack of decency and respect in this generation, society has become very dark. There is poor parenting taking place in this overpopulated world, and it is effecting all the future generations. Teenage parents, are uneducated and unprepared to be to raise a child. They believe they are responsible enough to take on the world and raise a family. Unfortunately, this is false information. Considering they are teenagers, they were unable to get their lives set up for success, and then they make the same parenting mistakes multiple times and end up with a huge family way below the poverty line. For every married couple, two children are all it takes to keep the world’s population at a constant rate. In too many families, there are more than two children, causing to exceed the death rate. In Overpopulation: Causes, Effects and Solutions, Rinkesh Kukreja
They should be able to have enough time in the afternoon to distract themselves with other healthy activities which ensure the development of new skills and is also relaxing. Many students’ everyday activities may also be affected. Students who like to read or do their homework in the library or just spend time in any other public place will be affected since they will have less time in them because of later release times. According to Rachel Pancare, who holds a Master of Science in childhood education, "An earlier release offers many children a chance to relax or take a break before beginning their homework assignments." With the new schedule, students will be too centralized on school which can lead to stress. It is important to combat or relieve stress since it can lead to a huge variety of other problems or disorders like unhealthy eating habits, sleep deprivation, and depression, which end up affecting academics. However, these health concerns are just as likely to be present if the school schedule starts early in the
South Korea, once a broken country filled with broken families, has transformed itself into a fine example of perseverance in a tough situation. South Korea and its neighbor to the north have developed past where they were before the Korean War, but in different ways. The two countries, while certainly dependent on each other, are vastly different. Their conflicting styles of government and their differing cultures speak for themselves in this case. South Korea has, over the years, changed dramatically from the crippled country of the Korean War into a blossoming beacon of Asian cultural and economic changes. The combination of its recent economic importance, its heavy cultural influence, and its constant danger of participating in a war makes South Korea one of the most influential countries in the world.
[HAN] I think the school system, because basically you go there, I went to school usually by 7:30am and came home 7:00pm. But some students stay longer, like even 10:00pm if you are a senior and about to go to college because there is kind of, like parents and teacher think their kids or students should go to college. Like have to go to college. They?re gonna pressure them to study a lot, so when you?re a senior you start to study a lot and you don?t sleep that much. Usually I think some people sleep 3 or 4 hours per day and just study. No free time.
Most children attend school for about 6.5 hours per day. Some people argue that this is not enough time for children to master key concepts, while others say that children spend too much time in school and on homework, which leaves them little time for family or fun activities. “There are many benefits to year-round schooling—including consistency, less time spent relearning material, and the implications that year-round schooling has for closing the achievement gap” (Lynch, 2016, par. 1). The adage of the adage. Currently, more than 700 schools have extended their day.
Another factor is that Korea’s heavy investment in human capital has led its education to rely heavily on rote learning and curricula cramming for the national university entrance exam. This leaves little room for creative thinking and an exploratory spirit . The government’s remedies include investments (over the past decade) to improve the education system, as well as work with industry to create more specialized curricula to smoothen the transition from university to industry.
At the beginning of one’s journey of gaining more knowledge, most children don’t mind school, for it is a change of environment for them. The majority of elementary school adolescents even enjoy school to some degree. As time wears on, we usually, and sadly, begin to see a change of heart. Children become fatigued from school and therefore don’t take pleasure in going anymore. Maybe their teachers didn’t teach them in the way that they learn most efficiently, or maybe students just become bored with the whole “school scene” itself. Whatever the case, it is apparent that by the time they reach high school, their interest for learning alone has died out.