Monilicious :*)

Last week was every student’s long awaited reward and salvation:

SPRING BREAK!

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Oh, I’m sorry. It was more like…

sigh..

Spring break.

As you can see, just because it was “break” doesn’t necessarily mean that the students at my school would be on one. In the many minds of many KISers (a term that I use to describe the students of Korea International School) having break automatically means attending endless hours of *hagwons and tutoring. Talk about being Asian..so will we ever get a TRUE break from school?

*hagwons: A place where students go to have after school academic lessons with other students. It is similar to group tutoring.

Fortunately, I do not have one of those typical Asian moms that send their children to these hagwons for a majority of the day. Seriously, I heard that some classes start at 7 A.M. and end at 6 P.M. and of course, there is homework given out. Who would have thought there could be something worse than school? I just can’t stress how much Korean mothers pressure their children to go to hagwons or hire tutors in order to “succeed” in school. They feel that it is crucial for their children to attend hagwons in order to obtain a further advanced level of knowledge. Most Koreans believe that they have to be at the top and be number one. Second place just doesn’t cut the line, it has to be first place. As far as I am concerned, I think that this way of thinking is wrong and something should be done to solve this matter of education.  Just because one attend hagwons, doesn’t mean that one will ace a class. In fact, I know some people who go to hagwons everyday yet their grades are lower than those who don’t. The reason behind this is because they spend so much of their time doing hagwon-related work and things that they don’t spend enough time on schoolwork, like completing the daily homework or studying for tests. What is the purpose of going to hagwons then? If you spend enough time studying independently for those subjects, you have a higher chance of getting a better grade. Trust me on this one. Studying is not something that someone else can do for you. Surely you might need help on the way, but this is what teachers and your peers are for. They are always there for you and you should turn to them first before hiring a tutor right off the bat. School should be the priority not hagwons and Koreans have to be more aware of this. This ludicrous trend of hagwons have to be stopped for once and for all…

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Thus, break should be break. A time when students can relax, spend some time with their beloved family and friends, go to places, breathe in nature, go to the beach and get a tan, read that book that you have put off for months, watch movies and some television, dance, draw, paint, listen to music, and take those priceless naps that you have been longing for during the school week. Let go of that pencil and go outside. Enjoy yourself. Don’t you think it’s reasonable to give yourself a break for just one day? It won’t hurt you. Have a good time for once. And most importantly…

sss

Live your life to the fullest.

ffd

*Note: If you liked this blog post, there’s more about this topic on my friend, Eungi’s blog.