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My Tears and Your Legacy: A Letter to
President-Elect Lee Myung-bak.
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Dear Mr. President-Elect:
Congratulations on becoming president of South Korea in the general election
last December. I am an English teacher in a public middle school in Busan. As I
enter my third year in the English Program In Korea (EPIK), it is both an honor
and a privilege for me to work with the next generation of Koreans. Besides
teaching English, I also teach my students honesty, respect (for self and
others), hard word, sacrifice, discipline, responsibility, and cooperation all
within a non-competitive atmosphere. It is a wonderful opportunity that I take
seriously, an opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of so many
young people.
Recently the laws of South Korea were modified to improve the vetting process in
the hiring of foreign English teachers. Medical examinations to check for HIV
and drug abuse along with criminal background checks for E 2 visa applicants is
certainly a good start. After all, it is not in the best interest of anyone to
have unsavory characters in the classrooms of your nation. But these new laws,
as positive a first step as they are, are incomplete. Analyzing my blood and
urine for specific diseases and pre-existing conditions is one thing.
But your government, Mr. President, also needs to analyze me tears. Your
government needs to look inside my heart. Then you'll know who the real teachers
are. Then you'll know which teachers to keep and which ones to discard.
From January 7th to the 25th, I teach a three-week winter English Camp here in
Busan. Most of the elementary school children are adorable, and it is an honor
to teach them. Yesterday I was in a classroom of 10 year olds. I was teaching
them to speak in complete sentences. They were teaching me to dance. One
beautiful little girl nicknamed "Sophia", with eyes that danced as she spoke,
took both my hands in hers and attempted to teach me the moves to "Tell Me" by
the Wonder Girls. I wish you could have been there, Mr. President. I wish you
could have seen this. The trust that she put in me as a teacher was truly
humbling and brought tears to my eyes. As I remember this magical teaching
moment today, I can't help but miss Sophia.
Then there was "Brian", a shy little boy who, when I attempted to team him up
with a girl to practice speaking, panicked and almost started to cry. He
reminded me of myself when I was 22! I hugged Brian, then teamed him up with
another boy. By the end of class, most of the students were speaking in the
complete sentences I had taught them. As for my dancing skills, let's just say
that Sophia has her work cut out for her.
(Sophia on the left, Brian on the right with me in the middle.)
Mr. President, I realize that there is a lot on your plate. The economy, North
Korea, various social problems in an ever changing society, and, of course,
education reform. You are just beginning your presidency. No doubt that by the
end of your presidency you will be thinking of a legacy. Something to leave the
Korean people. As for education reform, may I suggest this? Since you and your
government seem committed to hiring foreigners from English speaking countries
to teach Korea's children, your legacy may be found in these very important
seven words:
Hire foreign teachers who love your children.
Hire foreign teachers who are committed to seeing their students succeed. Hire
foreign teachers who yearn to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Hire foreign teachers who love what they do. Hire foreign teachers who go to bed
at night and dream about what they can do to improve the lives of their
students. Hire foreign teachers who can't wait to jump out of bed in the morning
and get to work in the classroom. Hire foreign teachers who miss their students
when they are not with them. Hire foreign teachers who want to be here. Hire
foreign teachers who can't imagine doing anything else but sharing their time
and energy with their students. In other words, Mr. President, hire foreign
teachers who love your children.
You need teachers with love, hope, faith, passion, and compassion. You need
teachers who are dedicated, responsible, reliable, and committed to the best
possible education for young people. And Mr. President, there is no blood and
urine test for that.
When it comes to education reform, this will be your lasting legacy. The hiring
of teachers who love your children and are dedicated to their success, will do
more to improve the educational system than anything else humanly imaginable.
To be blunt, Mr. President, my tears and your legacy are inexorably linked. The
medical exam that I took recently will show that I have high blood pressure and
am colored blind. When the doctors analyze my blood and urine they will find my
father's high cholesterol and gout. They may also find my mother's faulty gene
which led to her contacting multiple-sclerosis over 20 years ago.
But one thing your doctors won't find, Mr. President. Regardless of how good and
thorough your scientists are, one thing that won't show up in the test results
is my passion for teaching. There is no blood and urine test for that. You're
going to need my tears to test for love and passion. You're going to need to see
the tears in my eyes when we all succeed. You're going to need to hear the
quiver in my voice when I talk about how much I miss many of my students. And
you're going to have to come to any one of my classes and watch my students in
action as we all learn and teach together. In fact, you are most welcomed to do
this anytime.
In the meantime, I look forward to tomorrow. I look forward to teaching my
students to speak in full sentences. I look forward to encouraging my students
to reach for the stars. I look forward to pushing my students to their full
potential. And I look forward to Sophia taking my hands in hers once again, and
teaching me to dance. After all, Mr. President, you're not the only one with a
legacy to leave.
Steve Schertzer, esl_steve@excite.com
February 1, 2008.
(An edited version of this letter was published in the January 31st edition of
the Korea Times.)
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