Visiting educators receive warm welcome in Laredo

For the past seven weeks, Kim Jongok, also known as Geni and Hong Youngjoo, also known as Jane have spent time in both Laredo and Austin, Texas observing American school systems. Geni and Jane are originally from South Korea and stayed in Laredo with their host family, Dr. Irma Cantu, assistant professor of Spanish at Texas A&M International University.

The original program was part of Fullbright Teacher Exchange Program which gives educators the opportunity to visit foreign countries and learn different methods of instructing.

"The Fullbright branch recruits from 70 to 90 young American college graduates every year, so the recruits are trained for one month on English teaching methodology and grammar. They allocate all of them into different parts of Korea. So the teachers who are working in the school which accommodate the Fullbright American Teaching assistants are eligible to apply for this program. So that is why we applied for this program," remarked Jane.

Both Geni and Jane are English teachers in South Korea. While in Laredo they visited Trautman Middle School and Cigarroa High School.

"I found many differences from Korean schools," Geni said, as she spoke over her stay at Cigarroa High School. "I'm inspired to be a better teacher."

"Students did a lot of presentations in front of other students," Jane mentioned as she spoke enthusiastically over other differences within the Korean and American education systems. "To inspire the students, a teacher used a hamburger and compared writing to hamburgers, a good hamburger has a lot of ingredients inside of it; I think the examples were interesting," Jane continued as she gave an example of the different methods she learned at Trautman Middle School.

"In Korea, writing is more difficult than speaking because you didn't train our students to write because entrance exams to university do not require writing ability," said Geni. "They concentrated on reading and writing; I felt this is very important," she emphasized.

The culture of Laredo was very interesting to both Geni and Jane. A community who speaks both Spanish and English was something they found very unique. Jane motioned her warm welcome she received at Trautman Middle where a Mariachi band and doughnuts were arranged for her arrival, a kind Laredo gesture for a visiting educator.

"While I stayed in Laredo with my host family, Irma and her friend Maria, they were very kind, so I think Laredo's personality is very good and kind, very similar to Korea. I found many similarities between Mexicans and Koreans. I talked much about Mexican heritage with Irma, I found many similarities in the family system and the closeness between family members. I was very impressed," Geni discussed the fascinating similarities between the two cultures.

The most significant aspect of the exchange was the experiences both Geni and Jane gained while visiting Laredo. Their inspiration and motivation increased exponentially through this visit. When they depart back to South Korea, a firm dedication to educating their students is reawakened as they shared their philosophies on learning.

"I think becoming a friend of our students is the best aspect; I think if I become a friend to our students, I can show them how to achieve their goals more easily, and then I can inspire them to discover their own talent and purpose," said Geni.