Seoul, South Korea Report of what it's like to live there - 02/27/15
Personal Experiences from Seoul, South Korea
School Name:
Yongsan International School - Seoul
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
Parent
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
second, fourth, seventh, eighth
3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?
2014
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Embassy
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
proximity to housing
Admissions & Welcome:
1. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
D - very sterile and unwelcoming environment. You will get lots of emails, lectures, and have to sign multiple forms making it clear that you understand all of their rules but there are very few actual people who will welcome you. Their PTO is active and individuals within it can be welcoming but in general it is cliche-ish and closed off as well.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:
Strict adherence to rigid rules and very evangelical philosophy.
2. For the following attributes, down to the next blank box, grade your experience at the school on a scale of A (excellent) to F (unacceptable/terrible) and provide comments:<br><br>Overall fair and equitable treatment of all students and families:
F - My second grade son got suspended for playing tag at recess. My seventh grade son get bullied relentlessly and nothing was done to help him. I could write literally hundreds of stories of unfair treatment my kids endured while at YISS.
3. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
C- I had very little contact with the middle school teachers. The elementary school teachers did send regular emails about the school rules.
4. Aside from school fees, are there required expenses such as uniforms, laptops/tablets, musical instruments, or field trips that parents are expected to cover? What are the approximate costs?
uniforms
5. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:
C- There is no after school bus, but it is difficult to participate in after school activities.
6. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:
D- YISS has very unreachably high standards for behavior - i.e. - no talking in the lunchroom. I would say academically, they are fair to middling. None of my four kids were challenged or pushed academically.
7. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):
C- Homework quality was hit or miss depending on the teacher. We found most teachers were very disorganized and with very little teaching experience and it showed in many ways.
8. Administration-parent communication:
C- the administration did respond to my concerns but not in any meaningful way or make any changes for the better.
9. Does the school offer a wide variety of elective or non-core classes such as art, music, and drama?
no
10. Please describe any classes or programs that you believe are missing:
YISS does not teach evolution in science in middle school.
11. Are there academic requirements such as trips or other activities that cost money in addition to school fees?
In light of the many negative things I have to say about YISS, a big plus to YISS is that they include all the extra things in the tuition. They give middle school kids a computer and provide a great trip in each of the middle school years.
12. Have your children participated in the activities offered? If no, please indicate why:
no - no bus
13. Does the school provide appropriate assistance to new students?
no
14. Please describe any problem areas or challenges in social interaction at the school:
very large local population of kids; very strong pressure to be evangelical christian; a lot of bullying and teasing in the middle school
Academics & Resources:
1. What personal or academic counseling resources are available at this school? Is there a dedicated college counselor at the school? Is he/she familiar with universities worldwide?
B- The middle school counselor did attempt to help my son adjust in the context of a very difficult situation.
2. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
A - Middle school: one-to-one computer program which the school provides is good.
3. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
B- they have a good in school PE program. The middle school sports program is rigid, punitive and discourages participation.
4. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
Not sure what it is officially. In my kids' classes, it was about 24-1.
5. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
C- All students must take religion or "character-education" which limits the spots in their schedule for other electives. They do have some options.
6. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
yes
7. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?
no
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
no
2. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.
yes
Overall Impressions:
1. What is the greatest strength of this school?
proximity to embassy housing
2. Greatest challenge?
rigid rules, teachers and administration; refusal to teach science; bullying and the school refusing to address it
3. Would you choose this school again? Why?
absolutely not
