Kid from Jeju, Kid in Jeju
"Your efforts may never betray you" Every time a student blame discrimination, they blame a lack of effort. Every time a student becomes skeptical for one's success, they boast their 'equal opportunity system' to the poors. They, the developed nations, are arguing that they have a clear system to capitalize student's ability regardless of their environment. Top universities in the world are helping freshmen by giving them scholarships and free tuition. Governments are operating various programs to help poor students. However, Gladwell throws a question that is against most of our beliefs: "Is the system really capitalizing poor student's ability?" The answer he gave, was shockingly no.
Gladwell argues that there are a lot of smart students that are not recognized by universities. Most of the people believe that society gives equal chances to the wealthy and the poor, since universities are giving full tuition to poor kids. However, finding poor kinds who are actually getting full tuition in university is like finding a needle in a desert. The possibility is simply too less. Then what would be the reason? Gladwell suggests that too many poor geniuses are disappearing even before universities acknowledge them. For instance, there are only a few kids going to high school after middle school because there's a gang line between schools. Most of the smart kids rather become gangs than attending high school - because to them, there's no future. Due to the fact that colleges only search 'poor kids who are attending high school', these geniuses are no longer acknowledged by them.
This problem is also prevailing in Korea. If Carlos was a Korean student who couldn't afford any 'hagwons' to attend, he won't be able to survive in a huge market of private education in Korea. Even students from KMLA are mostly picked from one of the biggest hagwons in Seoul. Yes, there are various students from rural areas - Ulsan, Geojae, or Jeju island. But there's a similarity between them - they regularly attended hagwons to prepare KMLA's intensive interview. If they couldn't afford it, were they able to get into KMLA? No really sure. It is unbelievable that 70% of the students of a school which motto is 'studying for meaning itself' are from 2 most dominant hagwons in Gangnam. According to Shinhan Bank's <Report of Korean's income 2017>, top 20% spend 21 times more money on private education than the last 20%. Again, 21 times. When wealthy kids are driving on asphalt road with their shining Maserati, poor kids are running on unpaved road.
To solve this problem, Gladwell argues that helping poor geniuses must be done when they are younger - not when they're highschoolers, but when they are 4th or 5th graders. Not when they already gone into the dark, but when they are still on a standard education system, shining like a diamond. If this idealistic system is adopted to Korea, students like Carlos in Korea will get a 'second chance', because there's still a lot of poor geniuses disappearing before high school.
I was a kid who was born in Jeju island, and attended elementary school with inferior environment. But I was lucky I had a chance to move to Seoul. To me, it was a land of opportunity which Jeju kids will never taste. It is inevitable that one of the factors which helped me to get into KMLA was a well established education system of Seoul. If I had lived Jeju until I was a high schooler, I'm not certain that I'll get the same opportunity as I had. Yes, very few international schools which have high tuition has the best environment in Korea, but the other 99%? Can't be that confident.
At the end of the podcast, Gladwell finally reveals the reason why 'Carlos doesn't Remember'. Because his surrounding environment was too harsh, he had to stack the memory, put into a box, and put it aside of his brain. It was understandable when Carlos said 'I can't remember' when his teacher asked him about his sad and terrible memories. Certainly, there must be a lot of Korean students who are losing their passion due to their environment. Even Carlos, was lucky. Although it is hard to raise and foster poor geniuses from youngsters, it should be done if the nation is a truly 'developed' country. To every kids in this nation, there must be a second chance given whether the kid is wealthy or not. By this, students like Carlos in Korea will have the same opportunity of high education.
*Link of the news reporting Shinhan Bank's <Report of Korean's income 2017>
http://news.joins.com/article/21349674
Gladwell argues that there are a lot of smart students that are not recognized by universities. Most of the people believe that society gives equal chances to the wealthy and the poor, since universities are giving full tuition to poor kids. However, finding poor kinds who are actually getting full tuition in university is like finding a needle in a desert. The possibility is simply too less. Then what would be the reason? Gladwell suggests that too many poor geniuses are disappearing even before universities acknowledge them. For instance, there are only a few kids going to high school after middle school because there's a gang line between schools. Most of the smart kids rather become gangs than attending high school - because to them, there's no future. Due to the fact that colleges only search 'poor kids who are attending high school', these geniuses are no longer acknowledged by them.
This problem is also prevailing in Korea. If Carlos was a Korean student who couldn't afford any 'hagwons' to attend, he won't be able to survive in a huge market of private education in Korea. Even students from KMLA are mostly picked from one of the biggest hagwons in Seoul. Yes, there are various students from rural areas - Ulsan, Geojae, or Jeju island. But there's a similarity between them - they regularly attended hagwons to prepare KMLA's intensive interview. If they couldn't afford it, were they able to get into KMLA? No really sure. It is unbelievable that 70% of the students of a school which motto is 'studying for meaning itself' are from 2 most dominant hagwons in Gangnam. According to Shinhan Bank's <Report of Korean's income 2017>, top 20% spend 21 times more money on private education than the last 20%. Again, 21 times. When wealthy kids are driving on asphalt road with their shining Maserati, poor kids are running on unpaved road.
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| When top 20% spend 630000 won for private education, the last 20% spend only 30000 won - 21 times difference |
To solve this problem, Gladwell argues that helping poor geniuses must be done when they are younger - not when they're highschoolers, but when they are 4th or 5th graders. Not when they already gone into the dark, but when they are still on a standard education system, shining like a diamond. If this idealistic system is adopted to Korea, students like Carlos in Korea will get a 'second chance', because there's still a lot of poor geniuses disappearing before high school.
I was a kid who was born in Jeju island, and attended elementary school with inferior environment. But I was lucky I had a chance to move to Seoul. To me, it was a land of opportunity which Jeju kids will never taste. It is inevitable that one of the factors which helped me to get into KMLA was a well established education system of Seoul. If I had lived Jeju until I was a high schooler, I'm not certain that I'll get the same opportunity as I had. Yes, very few international schools which have high tuition has the best environment in Korea, but the other 99%? Can't be that confident.
At the end of the podcast, Gladwell finally reveals the reason why 'Carlos doesn't Remember'. Because his surrounding environment was too harsh, he had to stack the memory, put into a box, and put it aside of his brain. It was understandable when Carlos said 'I can't remember' when his teacher asked him about his sad and terrible memories. Certainly, there must be a lot of Korean students who are losing their passion due to their environment. Even Carlos, was lucky. Although it is hard to raise and foster poor geniuses from youngsters, it should be done if the nation is a truly 'developed' country. To every kids in this nation, there must be a second chance given whether the kid is wealthy or not. By this, students like Carlos in Korea will have the same opportunity of high education.
*Link of the news reporting Shinhan Bank's <Report of Korean's income 2017>
http://news.joins.com/article/21349674
Excellent advancement from paper to blog, and I love that amazing statistic that only Korea can produce (not something to be proud of - but wow! Crazy numbers). Good citation at the end. As for Jeju, hasn't it really taken off as an eduhub of Korea with lots of schools that can now compete with KMLA? But I wonder how many kids attending are actually FROM Jeju, and how that has impacted the hakwons there. Interesting. Good post.
답글삭제Actually various great schools in Jeju which are recently built requires high educational expense(some of them higher than KMLA), and that becomes a barrier of fine education to the kids like Carlos in Jeju. Hagwons are making 'weekend classes' in order to makes these students from rural area to attend their hagwon, and that eternal loops is getting worse and worse..
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