Maria Medina
Hello
my name is Manuel J. Medina. I work for the Chicago Public Schools. I
am the officer for the Office of Language and Cultural Education. The
office oversees all the bilingual, world language, and fine arts programs
in the 600 schools in the Chicago Public was my first trip to Korea. I
was really amazed with what I saw.
This county has developed quickly in the past fifty years, especially in the area of technology. Education is highly respected in Korea with parents planning ahead even as to what university their child will be attending. What is also interesting is that students are encourage to learn other languages, with English being the main one. French, German and Japanese are also taught with some being the third language.
The country is also very beautiful. We were able to see a lot of history and culture through our many visits to museums and temples. Some of the participants were able to enjoy the worldwide activity-shopping, some more than others.
Since the participants came from other countries, I was able to learn about Australia, Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, and Hong Kong, China.
The people, as well as the country, are beautiful. Their hospitality was great. I have to say that the institute's staff were phenomenal, They went out of their way to accommodate us. Mr. Kim was wonderful.
In conclusion, I saw a lot of similarities between the US and Korea. Yes, there are differences, but those differences are what makes each country unique. I know that this trip was a learning experience for me. I will work to develop Korean-as-a-second language programs in our Chicago Public Schools.