초등학교 (Elementary School)

I went to an elementary school that produced about 650-700 graduates each year. The students were divided into smaller “units” of 60 or so students. Looking back, it seems that classes were crowded, but teachers had great authority and students were very well trained to behave by teachers as well as their parents. I learned the following old Korean saying as I entered my elementary school, one that shows the respect toward a teacher that is expected in that culture:“A king, a parent, and a teacher are equal.”

There were usually 12 units in each grade level. Each of the units had a teacher who was responsible for teaching all the subjects to his or her unit. I remember that most of students enjoyed the art classes. We were not provided with art supplies by the school or teachers. It was students’ responsibility to purchase and bring them to class, which meant that parents were responsible for providing them for their children. Of course, there were some families who could not afford the materials. The parents association, equivalent to PTA in the U.S., discretely provided these students with supplies. I also remember that the school collected rice and other basic supplies for students in need.

In looking back at the education I received, I find the strict Asian education system very interesting for both its strengths and its weaknesses. The most notable strength of this system concerned discipline and rigor in all disciplines. In art classes, we used both dry and wet media. In grades three through six, we were doing watercolor wash technique. We also learned calligraphy using ink and brush. Art classes were intended to train students in the handling of materials, and they usually succeeded in this training. I appreciate the education I received in all subjects, and it has served me well. But I wish that all of my education, including art education, were less focused on rigor and provided more individualized instruction in technique and more creative freedom in classrooms. In all subjects, students with better skills were commended and other students were not noticed much, but these were recognitions mostly of skills that students had brought into the class with them, innate skills or skills they had learned from parents or in private instruction.

Although the Korean school system has same spring and fall semesters, they are slightly different from the U.S.A. semesters. The Korean spring semester runs from March to June, and the fall semester is from September to December. We had a two-month break for summers and winters with assignments to be done at home in various subjects, including art. As art assignments during the breaks, students were required to visit at least one museum and one performing arts event. I also remember picture-diary assignments throughout elementary school, especially during summer breaks. Each page of a notebook/sketchbook was divided: the upper 60-70 percent was for visual expression and lower 30-40 percent was designated for the written portion of the diary. Students wererequired to keep the journal in this format and to submit it for periodical review. There were times that I felt tired of keeping up with the picture diary, but it was excellent way to train visual and written expression as a young child. It was nice way to connect everyday life with visual art.

I think such assignment for the breaks from school are very helpful in encouraging parents and children to spend time together doing the activities recommended by the schools/ teachers. My first musical experience came with my parents helping me to fulfill an assignment from the elementary school. It also benefitted my two younger sisters. They came to the musical event and enjoyed it very much. I remember that my youngest sister, who was about five years old, said, “It is good to have a sister who goes to school and has this kind of homework. I want to go to school on my own soon.”In my memory, the education and most of my teachers strongly implied that the arts are important because they nurture us emotionally. Without assignments like this, my formal experience with the performing arts would have been much delayed.