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Wednesday, August 13, 2008
we're working on a new project now -- a book that would prepare korean high school students for their suneung exams, their version of college entrance exams in korea. it's serious stuff but i didn't realize how serious until i found a few articles on the internet how intensely koreans prepare for their suneung test. one article i saw said that an estimated 200 students commit suicide because of the SATs. students are put under a lot of pressure: they study from morning until very late at night, have no time for leisure activities, and are continuously monitored by their parents. they spend three years, the entire time they are in senior high school preparing for the suneung exams. (some students prepapre for it as early as their elementary years!) their future depends on the result of their suneung exams because it would determine whether they can be accepted at the best universities in korea. of the thousands of students who take the exam, of course, only a few really get to go to the recognized good universities. coming from a good university would mean that they get hired in the best companies and generally have a bright future. knowing that really puts into perspective what we do here. it's not just about writing an excellent passage and making the questions tricky. it's about helping those desperate kids through the most difficult day of their lives. they hold suneung exams every third thursday of november. it's like a national holiday for them because office workers are discouraged from coming to work early to help prevent traffic that would make students late for the exams. during the listening part of the exams, airplanes cannot fly or land, trains and trucks and any sort of vehicles cannot use their whistles or horns, to minimize the noise and help the kids hear the dialogues better. it's kind of weird for me actually. i don't remember being put in that kind of pressure when i took the upcat and the acet. i didn't do any special study for those, except maybe some saturday classes in high school which many of us did not even take seriously. i guess i was just lucky i went to an excellent school that prepared me indirectly for the college exams i was to take. i was fortunate, i guess, that the school i went to prepared me not just for the exams but also for college. having passed both exams *aherm* without being put under the tremendous pressure those koreans are in, i consider myself very lucky indeed. Labels: college, education, korea
Sunday, May 04, 2008
my husband came from a very poor family. many of his relatives are poor, including the family of his second cousin who graduated valedictorian last april from the local high school in their hometown. i have often talked to his second cousin emmanuel over the past year and i know that he is a very diligent, hardworking young man who, unlike many of his classmates, is serious about his studies. he had told me that he wanted to go to college after graduating from high school -- a feat that seemed nearly impossible considering their family's financial background. emmanuel's father is a farmer and her mother is a housewife. emmanuel is the third child among a brood of six. his two older siblings already have families of their own while his younger sisters are all in school. i admired his courage to voice out his dream of pursuing a college education despite the apparent challenges he would face once he does. on the eve of his high school graduation, i encouraged him to try and take up entrance examinations at silliman university, arguably one of the best private institutions in the country. his family surrounded us while we were talking, and i understood how emmanuel's firm resolve to go to college at all costs frightened them. it was not that they are not proud of emmanuel's accomplishment and dream, it was simply anxiety that they would not be able to support emmanuel's education to the full, especially if he goes to silliman. i told them that he could always apply for scholarships and not to worry so much. a few days ago i found out that emmanuel passed the silliman examinations. unfortunately, he only qualified for a 50% scholarship for the first semester. he has to work off (at PHP 20 or USD 0.50 an hour) the remaining 50% and would have to re-apply for a scholarship for the second semester and for the succeeding three years. he has an option to take a full scholarship grant in a local university that admittedly does not have as good a track record as silliman and i feel that his family is urging him to do that instead of taking a big risk in silliman. emmanuel understands that if he decides to enroll in silliman, he is endangering his siblings' education. they would have to sell one of their carabaos to pay for his expenses. the family would have to make certain sacrifices for him. he does not want that to happen -- but he really wants to study in silliman because he knows that he can have access to excellent education there, the kind of education that would also give him excellent opportunities in the future. he knowsthat studying in silliman would be beneficial to emmanuel's family in the long run. but before he can think of his future, he has to think of the present. i wish i could help him financially but i am in no position to do so. all i can do is pray for a miracle. Labels: education |
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