To the Editor:
I witnessed the educational abuse of South Korean children documented in “How South Korea Enslaves Its Students,”
by Se-Woong Koo (Sunday Review, Aug. 3), when I was asked by the Korean
teachers’ union in 2007 to speak about the dangers the No Child Left
Behind law brought to American schools. I asked if I could go early and
visit schools in Seoul.
While
Seoul kindergartens were filled with the playhouse items that once
filled our own kindergartens, Seoul middle schools provide study carrels
so that students can eat dinner at school and return to their studies
for very high-stakes, competitive exams. They study until 10 p.m. or
later.
Although
in the name of college- and career-ready skills we’ve wiped out
kindergarten as a “children’s garden,” we can breathe a sigh of relief
that American schools aren’t keeping children at their desks until 10
p.m.
In
Seoul, I shared the podium with Peter Johnson, the president of the
Finnish Principals Association, who gave a view of national education
policy in sharp contrast with the corporate scheme shared by South
Korean politicians, Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and
President Obama. Mr. Johnson pointed out that while the global
educational trend is for standardization, Finland emphasizes flexibility
and what he called “loose standards.”
He said Finland trusts teachers. What a radical notion.
SUSAN OHANIAN
Charlotte, Vt., Aug. 3, 2014
Charlotte, Vt., Aug. 3, 2014
The writer, a retired public-school teacher, is a critic of national standards and testing.
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