Conversation Circle Visit

Friday I finally had the opportunity to join Irish's conversation circle, and I had a wonderful time.  There were two girls there, and they were both very chatty and sweet.  We went through a series of questions Irish had prepared about education, teaching, classes, and discussed some of the differences in the way education is viewed in the US and in South Korea and the Philippines.  One of the biggest differences was in the way that extracurriculars- sports, music, art, etc- are viewed.  The girls said that in South Korea, parents are strictly interested in having their children study academic subjects, especially math and science (and English from a young age).  They don't see value in arts or music because they don't tend to lead to very lucrative careers (we were all speaking in broad generalizations of course).  In the US on the other hand, there is much more emphasis on being a well-rounded person- someone who only does all academics, all the time is almost seen as being incomplete or strange.  I think some of this is due to a genuine respect for and interest in having a wide range of interests and activities and appreciation for the arts and physical fitness, but some of it is also due to the way our education systems are set up.  Even for parents who are strictly interested in ensuring that their child ends up with a lucrative and successful career, there is a strong incentive for them to engage their children in all kinds of extracurriculars as a way to get to the best college or university.  Both girls agreed that they prefer the American interest in extracurriculars to the strict focus on academics that they grew up with.  Overall it was a good meeting and I really enjoyed getting to meet both of them!