Teach English in Qikou Zhen - Luliang Shi

ESL (English as a second language) students in Korea are having fun but are not learning like in the old days. 20 years ago, English academies roared through Seoul like a tropical storm. Places like CDI opened over 200 schools across the country. English academies made star teachers that coveted the support of mothers which became the foundation of English education. Now the education system that once was a majestic pillar of strength has collapsed. These days students in Korea face a failed system dictated by a falling economy, disillusioned mothers, and spoiled children. It is no secret that the economy in Korea is not as strong as it used to be. Already massive companies like Lotte are investing elsewhere in China and Vietnam. Simply put, Koreans are losing money. Families spend money they don't even have just to keep appearances because in Korea losing face is the ultimate disgrace. And thus many Koreans have already jumped ship. As a result, the demand for ESL has dropped, fewer students mean fewer academies. Thousands of big and small schools all across Korea have closed down, and very few academies remain. CDI, YBM, and JLS were all powerhouses back in the days, but one by one branches everywhere had to shut down. Most Koreans just could not afford to pay these expensive tuitions. In the aftermath with the few clients that remained, there was a shift in power; the power now belonged to the mothers. Please understand, most mothers were kind and they cared about their child's education, but it only took a few rotten apples to spoil the bunch. Soon managers would change their teaching philosophies to cater to these mothers. Schools desperately had to cling on to every customer regardless of how ridiculous their demands were. The mothers began to abuse their power over the schools and thus changed the entire focus of ESL education. Teachers weren't allowed to discipline the students. They were forced to write long reports on any actions concerning the students. And any disciplinary action taken upon a child was fiercely reprimanded by management. Teachers lost their jobs for simply asking a student to leave the class because of unruly behaviour. And one by one, the teacher's powers were stripped away leaving the students to set the tone. The mothers that remained were usually the wealthy ones and their priorities were not on education. No, they cared more about their children's "fun." Long ago classes applied ESA in a very controlled environment. Through the support of management and mothers, teachers disciplined and educated the students. Now teachers have no control and are simply puppets to entertain the mass. When the mothers became more concerned about their child's happiness, the emphasis on education became more game-oriented. The children wanted more games and they got what they wanted. Games like Hangman, Target, and Lottery were incorporated into every lesson. In fact, the more fun the class was the more popular the teacher became. The academies that survived all changed their lesson plans to in still lots of games. The demands of these spoiled children did not just end with games. The students complained about having too much homework, so there are some schools now that do not give out any homework. Many students suffered from a lack of discipline and sometimes attention at home. And all these issues would surface in the academies usually in the form of attention-seeking negative behaviours like violence. And it was up to the teachers with their hands tied behind their backs to counsel these children. In the end, the children made the demands and the mothers listened. The mothers flexed their muscles and bullied the desperate schools to bow to their needs all because the schools had to survive. Education became a distant afterthought, always placed in a school's motto but never really enforced. It became the illusion that everybody accepted. The bedrock of ESL education in Korea is gone and all that is left is a shell, but at least the kids are having fun.