Reflections on writing the literacy narrative

                                                My literacy narrative reflection      

            Writing this literacy narrative made me reflect on my experiential learning in South Korea and how important it was to my development as not only a teacher but as a person as well. Teaching requires a lot of maintenance, hard work and dedication. My first year as an ESL teacher was a defining moment for me. Even though I didn’t have any of the tools and expertise to fully immerse myself in my job, I was given an extraordinary chance to witness a culture that was very different from mine. It wasn’t just South Korean culture that was new to me. The entire practice of hiring native English speakers as English instructors was a very peculiar phenomenon in South Korea. I didn’t make the connection at first, but I realized that learning English for South Koreans was pushed so aggressively that it alienated many of my students.

            From this experience I became aware of the political context that students learn under. Obviously this not only applies to an ESL classroom but to every classroom. At any given moment there are institutional forces that shape what you do and don’t do in the classroom. This is why it is so important to understand the context of the students that you teach. Questions like “what are the economic or political forces that shape how English is learned?” and “what kind of English learning is being valued more?” are important questions that only now come to mind.

            I realized that teaching English in South Korea was not a neutral act. I also realized that teaching there implicated me in that system.

This wasn’t made apparent right away and only through uncovering the layers of experience that I felt there made me more aware of it. Perhaps I owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Jung who was a central part of my literacy narrative. I can honestly say that without him I wouldn’t have made the same kind of assessment of South Korea’s education politics.

            Mr. Jung was very aware of what was going on around him and he was curious to know more about Western culture and values. It was truly a pleasure to talk to him and exchange information about our lives. I don’t think I would’ve known so much about the history of South Korea if it weren’t for him. From him, I was also keenly aware of the value placed on English education in the country because he was so wholly against it.

            Mr. Jung believed there needs to be mutual respect and understanding between people if any kind of learning will ever happen. I extend this further; through my learning and understanding of basic writing contexts, I realize that a learning environment that doesn’t take into account students experiences and values is doomed to fail. Hopefully, as a teacher I can remember this important caveat and not walk into a basic writing classroom filled with doubt and mistrust.