Finding a Home Away From Home

These past two weeks have just flown by, and the pace is not slowing down for the second half of our adventure. We have learned so much about Korea's culture and agriculture, and we've all experienced a lot of "firsts" - from riding a cross-country train, to learning (or at least attempting) the Korean language, getting our fill of spicy foods, and even enjoying some karaoke with our friends from Seoul National University. But amongst all of these new experiences, the highlight of our #AgEd2Korea adventure for me so far has felt like both a "first" and like coming home - our visits to Suwon High School for Agricultural Sciences!

Suwon is the first of our agricultural high school visits and luckily here we were able to split our visits up into three days, which allowed us to tour all of the facilities and micro-teach a lesson of our choosing in two different classes. It was a great time. Suwon has been the highlight so far for me because it is so different yet so similar to my school, WB Saul High School for Agricultural Sciences in Philadelphia, PA.

Student Landscape Design Greenhouse

At Suwon the students are divided into three major tracks - plant science, food science, and mechanical sciences, where the students then more topic specific courses as they advance through school, very similar to the plant science and animal science tracks at Saul. The facilities at Suwon are amazing, and again I could find similarities. Suwon has dozens of greenhouses which it utilizes for various student projects, such as bonsai trees, individual student landscaping displays, and student driven research. There are many large food science labs inside the school, to allow space for all sorts of cooking and baking experimentation. There are also mechanical shop buildings, filled with any shop equipment you can think of from welding hoods to tractor repair areas. They even had a rice harvester!

While Saul may lack some of the facilities available at Suwon, there was a common theme among both schools that I really enjoyed - partnerships. Community partnerships are very important to Suwon High School, which aligns with what we have learned about the importance of cooperation and teamwork in the Korean culture. At Suwon these partnerships are very visible in the amount of community volunteers we saw on-campus. While students are in classes, community volunteers work in the shops and greenhouses, maintaining the shops and greenhouse projects. We saw volunteers working on large-scale flower arrangements for an upcoming festival which came about through the partnership the city of Suwon has with the school.

FFK Emblem Banner

Students have regular school hours from 8am until 4pm, then from 4pm until 6pm is dedicated time for the students to work on their individual projects, work with clubs and other student organizations like FFK, and also time for students to receive extra instruction from graduates of Suwon High School. These graduates come back to the school after work to provide the current students with real-world knowledge and skills they have gained in the work-place as a way to "pay-it-forward" to the next generation.

The importance of community partnerships is vital to any program but I think it was returning graduates helping at Suwon that reminded me of Saul the most. While we also have partnerships with various agriculturally-related businesses in the area, such as the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) we operate on our property, allowing community members to purchase fresh food from the school, similar to the market Suwon operates, we also have many alumni involved with our school who want to "pay-it-forward." I am just one of many alumni who help chaperone school trips, work with students in preparation for shows and competitions, and come out to support the school at banquets and other events.

Chicago HS Hat. Soon a Saul Hat?

I think that Saul and Suwon have a lot in common with each other and could learn a lot from each other. Another aspect of community partnerships that was really fascinating to me was that Suwon expands their community internationally, with exchange programs with Future Farmers of Thaliand (FFT),  Future Farmers of Japan (FFJ), and with the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences in the U.S. Since they already have an established relationship with Chicago, I would love to help develop a relationship between Saul and Suwon and hopefully eventually between Suwon and my future agricultural education program, wherever that may be.

Modern History

Think about walking down the main street of your town. What do you see? A library? Post office? It's rare to imagine this ordinary scene...and then add a palace. Or a city gate. Yet here in Korea, that is exactly what you would find.

Part of the wall and east gate

Evidence of societies on the Korean Peninsula dates back to 8000 BC. What's even more awesome is some of this evidence can be seen all around the city. Seoul alone has five palaces and many more gates.

Today, while in Suwon, we visited Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and Hwaseong Haenggung. This site was built during the 1790s by King Jeongjo, a member of the Joseon Dynasty. Standing at 5.7 km long and 4-6 m high, the wall helped defend the city that lay behind it. On other sides of the city, were various buildings as well.

We began our adventure by taking part in an archery experience. It was interesting to see the way that using these is different from modern bows. However, it was also a lot harder to use them. All of us stood in a row while the tour guide explained the best way to shoot. Hardly anyone was able to make their arrow stick in the target.

A little later on, we went to another part of the palace. Here, we witnessed a martial arts performance. Various groups demonstrated how swords, spears, and hand to hand combat worked. Each of these were a little bit different than what I would have imagined. For instance, the spears are actually flexible.

The last part was a trolley ride around the city. This was a better way to see how much of these buildings are placed around the city. The wall and gates went through parts of the city where a lot of people were. It was awesome to see part of the old city mixed in with everyone from the modern parts.

Riding the Trolley

All of these sites, like the one in Suwon, are almost commonplace. While walking around the City Hall area, we passed three historical structures within an hour of each other. And the structures are seamlessly integrated into the rest of the city. You could pass by one on the way to work and take notice of it, yet it wouldn't really look out of place. The buildings all look like they belong where they are.

The best part though is that people get to see them all the time. Anyone walking around can just  admire their beauty while shopping in a certain section of the city. These national treasures are completely accessible for anyone. Because of that, I feel it is much easier to appreciate the culture. A foreigner can see bits of Korean history and learn about it. And Koreans are able to be more in touch with their own history. Sometimes repeated exposure to something can help a person grow to like it more. I hope this works the same way. Hopefully, some people ask questions about it and try to learn more.

Variety is the Spice of Education

One bonsai tree present in the greenhouses

Baskin-Robbins is famous for the variety of flavors that they offer their customers.  You can show up at a Baskin-Robbins and sample dozens of flavors before you reach the perfect one for you.  Take any group of people out for ice cream one day and really pay attention to what each of them ends up ordering, chances are they will not all get the same thing.  Take that same group out to an ice cream place which only offers chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry and you'll see that, while they may all get something, they may not all be completely satisfied with what they received.  

Suwon High School is amazing at offering students whatever flavor they want.  The school's facilities are impressive to say the least, they have multiple greenhouse, workshops, garages, and open student workplaces.  These are all then utilized by the students in their project based learning experience.  

This area is used by students to repair farm machinery

The most impressive part about these facilities is how they are utilized to enhance student engagement.  At the end of every school day (at 4:00 PM) students are required to participate in a structured activity until 6:00 PM, almost like an afterschool club in the US. 

We had an opportunity to tour and explore the product of many of these student projects and the results spoke for themselves.  I saw entire landscapes, beautifully grown bonsai trees, and entire restored tractors.  Not only that but there was also plenty of evidence of student learning going on; there was a cleared out area used to practice safe tractor driving, an area where transplanting was obviously taking place, and a workshop filled with welding rooms and evidence of practice welding.  Practical application of student knowledge was ever-present in our tour of the school.  

A product of the student run greenhouse gardens

The other amazing part of these student projects is that they mostly occur in groups.  Back home, we have student run projects (Supervised Agriculture Experience projects) but they occur almost entirely on an individual basis.  However, the culture that is present in Korea is such that the success of the group is always emphasized over the success of the individual.  I would absolutely love to see what would happen if a concept such as this were adopted in the US; what sort of projects would come out of the labor of multiple FFA members rather than just the work of one?

It's when we view things like this that really resonate with me.  We have a great system in the United States for Agriculture Education but it can always be better.  We all need to be on the constant lookout for tricks, tips, and tactics we can incorporate to encourage further growth in our industry. 

The Programmatic View - Experiences at Suwon High School for Agriculture Sciences

The past two days have been inviting, exciting, challenging, and mind altering. We have finally reached the point in our trip in which is one of the main reasons for traveling here. 

We have enjoyed two full days touring and teaching at one of the most prestigious agricultural high schools in the Republic of Korea, Suwon High School for Agriculture Sciences. Suwon High School is one of three major types of high schools found in the Republic of Korea. It is considered a technical high school, similar the career and technical high school programs that can be found in the United States. Throughout today’s post, I would like to give you a little insight as to the student life at Suwon, as well as define some major highlights that all of us were able to take away from this extraordinary program.

Student Life

Student life is somewhat different from what some of us envisioned going into this program. Some students at Suwon High School reside in the on campus dormitories, while others live at home and commute. 

The high school has three grades at the high school level, known as grades one, two, and three. Obviously this differs from the United States because we are used to labeling grades from first to twelve. Students in Korea complete grades one through six at the elementary level. They complete grades seven through nine at the middle school level. (These grades start over and are known as grades one, two, and three.) They finish their schooling with grades ten through twelve at a high school which is chosen based upon their grades and review of a submitted application. (These grades also are known as grades one, two and three.). 

Students in Korea, upon completion of primary school, apply for and choose whether they want to or are able to attend a Meister school, technical high school, or common high school. All schools are different, based upon the students within them and their future career paths.

A typical school day for students at Suwon is as follows: Begin the school day at 8am. End the school day at 4pm. Participate in mandatory club activities until 6pm. Eat dinner. Attend free study sessions at school from 7pm to 9pm. If desired, attend dormitory study sessions from 9pm until 11pm. 

You are probably thinking…WOW, what a rough day! That is exactly what I was thinking. Students and teachers as well are putting in countless hours to make education their number one priority at this stage of life. 

Students are allowed to choose two areas of education to “major” in, but all are required to take certain general courses. 

Beyond differences of structure of the school day, I would like to introduce you to some of the very powerful concepts that Suwon High School has implemented and mastered, which is allowing their students to be ultimately successful.

Connections to U.S. School Based Agriculture Education

As our agriculture education programs in the United States follow similar models and concepts of why agriculture education is important and how it can be effective, both nations carry these ideas out quite differently. Below are a few examples.

1.       Many facilities such as greenhouses, animal research labs, and mechanical shops are available and utilized as lab space for students to work as groups to develop and complete research and other viable projects, where each student has a direct role but gets to learn hands on as a group. This relates to our Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) projects, in which most U.S. students complete individually.

2.       Alumni are an irreplaceable part of student learning at Suwon High School. Creating relationships with former students allows Suwon to bring in these alumni and have them share real world work experiences with the students on a daily basis. This not only allows the students to determine what it is they really wish to do after high school, but also helps create relevance to the labs and classroom instruction they are receiving in school. Like Suwon, we strive to bring professionals into our classrooms and create long lasting relationships with alumni in order to benefit our current students, but most likely, few programs in the grand scheme of things, have mastered this task because it takes time, reputation, and organization.

3.       Suwon is set up so that grade one (10^th grade) students receive hands on laboratory instruction most of their school year, while grade two students (11^th grade) receive a combination of laboratory and classroom instruction. In grade three (grade 12) much more emphasis is placed on taking the practical knowledge acquired throughout labs in previous grades and focusing on the application of that acquired knowledge through classroom instruction. In the United States, we often see this approach being completed in just the opposite manner, with the thought process that older students who have gained trust and have proved a specific maturity level, get to take advantage of participating in more lab-based classes.

We obviously can relate these concepts to our own agricultural education programs in the United States. Are there similarities? Yes! Are there differences? Of course! However, I believe a lot of benefits can be reaped from observation of successful programs, such as the one we have Suwon High School for Agriculture Sciences.   

Regardless of similarities and differences, all of us teachers will take new ideas back to our own programs to make them better. This was an absolute positive experience, teaching in, and observing the amazing teachers, students, and facilities at Suwon High School for Agriculture Science, a place where students accept responsibility for their learning, known their expectations, are creative, and express excitement, enthusiasm, and pride at their school.

Lessons Across the Globe

Have you ever been in a room where almost everyone else speaks a different language?  Have you ever tried to teach in that room? 

If you have, then you know it can be tricky business conveying your thoughts, information, or instruction to the rest of the group.  But today we did it!  Our group traveled to Suwon High School for Agricultural Science and had the opportunity to present an agriculture lesson to a class of students.  It was challenging, that's for sure, but rewarding all the same.  The experience was nothing like I expected and, as it turned out, made for a much more engaging lesson!  
 

The Korean High School From A Teacher's Perspective

Koreans Think Teachers Should Be Old

 

Korean Classroom Dynamics

Korean Cafeteria Food

Spicy Squid with Rice, Soup, Salad and Pickled Parsnips

I was very much looking forward to my first meal in a Korean high school cafeteria.  It's much the same as in the United States with industrial utensils, trays, serving stations, and tables/chairs.  But of course, the food is traditionally served with a metal spoon and chopsticks, with no cup or napkins.  I was excited to see what appeared to be many of the faculty and staff members eating together in the cafeteria during the students' recess.  Overall, the quality of the food was higher than some of what I have eaten here in Korea and we were even served ice cream for dessert!