The Korean Teachers and Educational Worker’s Union (KTU) has apparently inducted a 31-year-old Canadian middle school English teacher in Incheon as its first foreign member. From the Korea Herald:
The Korean Teachers and Educational Worker’s Union welcomed its first foreign member last week since it was founded in 1989.
Thomas James, a Canadian teacher at Nongok middle school in Incheon, was enrolled in the union just two months after he had come to Korea.
James said that he would play a role in raising the international profile of the Korean teachers’ association, saying foreigners would pay attention to a teachers’ labor group union in Korea.
Yonhap News (Korean) had the full press conference with the McGill grad (English lit), which I translated below:
– What are your feelings upon becoming the first foreigner to join a teachers’ union in Korea?
I’ve been interested in the KTU for a long time, so I visited its homepage, but since it was in Korean, I couldn’t understand. The other union members have all welcomed by decision to join the union, so I’m pleased. I will work hard.
– Why did you join the KTU?
After I was posted to this school, I saw how hard the KTU teachers worked. I liked how they looked strong and full of confidence. I joined thinking that you shouldn’t be afraid of expressing your thoughts.
– They say your fellow teachers were worried and tried to dissuade you from joining…
In the case of Canada, all teachers join and are active in unions. The unions are strong, and this has helped the students, schools and teachers. In Korea, the KTU’s activities have been weak. I wanted to contribute to the development of education, and I believe you must put into practice that which you believe is right.
– What activities do want to conduct in the future?
I want to spread word of the KTU internationally. I want to publicize the rights of teachers in Korea who involved in labor and human rights movements. Specifically, I plan to begin a project to translate the Korean KTU homepage into English. So I hope foreign governments like Canada’s will be able to help in improving the educational environment in Korea.
– What is your understanding or evaluation of the KTU?
While the KTU was not legally recognized under the dictatorships of the latter half of the 1980s, countless teachers were fired. The KTU endured the pain and stayed independent from the government. In the past, the union experienced many ups and downs like violent crackdowns by police when it held rallies.
I was impressed by the scene of high school students picketing when their teachers were fired.
– What would you like to say to other foreign teachers in Korea?
Most foreign teachers are teaching English in institutes. They, too, know about Korea’s history and human rights, but they are in the position of onlookers. I will induce them to have interest in and participate in educators’ unions. You clearly can’t take the position of a bystander because of cultural relativism. You have to choose a side and make your position clear.
– What was your motivation for coming to Korea?
Korea is very unique, and it has had a very difficult history. It was run by dictators after liberation in 1945, and currently, the human rights and unification movement is very vibrant. I wanted to feel for myself Korea’s dynamic modern history.
– What have you felt about the reality of education in Korea?
There are too many students in each class, and I’ve experienced difficulty teaching because the English textbooks aren’t useful. Teachers occasionally punish students physically, which I cannot understand. I hope schools could become a place students enjoy and feel happiness. The teachers’ curricula are too confining, so they can’t guarantee autonomy. Teachers must be given the freedom to conduct flexible classes.
– Lastly, what attitude will you present to your students?
Because I’m teaching middle school students, I will work hard within the teaching methodology to improve their English skills. If I get the chance to teach high school students, I would like to teach them by also conducting debates on Korea’s historical problems.
I think most of my long term readers understand how I feel about the KTU — if not, read some of the pieces here. My personal loathing of the KTU aside, the guy deserves a hand for taking an active role in this society rather than sitting back and watching.
11 Comments
You mean that commie organization the KTU?
I think that Candian just parroted out whatever the interviewer wanted to hear.
He looks like the food-guy from Queer Eye.
I would like to think this guy is just a little naive and doesn’t know what he has gotten himself into. If he is smart he will figure it out and promptly get out of the KTU. Once he brings up North Korean human rights and gets hushed up, he will figure it all out. Or then again he could be your garden variety commie.
“Teachers occasionally punish students physically, which I cannot understand.” You can’t understand it? Or don’t agree with it? I don’t agree with it but I try to understand it because I’ve tried to understand the culture and environment I’m living in. Maybe once he’s been here more than two months, he’ll have a little more insight. And by the way, occasionally? I’ve been led to believe it’s often.
“…foreigners would pay attention to a teachers?€™ labor group union in Korea.” I pay attention to them because they are a big part of what’s slowly destroying this country from the inside. Doesn’t mean I ever want to join them.
“In Korea, the KTU?€™s activities have been weak.” Yeah, about the only thing they’ve done is corrupted and twisted the minds of the students and youth for the past who knows how long. If that’s weak, I’d hate to see what he has in mind.
“So I hope foreign governments like Canada?€™s will be able to help in improving the educational environment in Korea.” Could be restated as “My way is better, see, because I’m Canadian.”
“You clearly can?€™t take the position of a bystander because of cultural relativism.” Also could be restated as “My way is better, see, because I’m Canadian. Now I’m going to shove it down your throat until you choke.”
This guy joined the KTU and doesn’t speak Korean? Smart move. I hope he realizes he’s going to be a poster boy and puppet for the Communists that populate the KTU. Hopefully he’ll get tired of their collective hand shoved up his ass, moving his mouth when they want him to talk, and leave before he does much more damage. Idiot.
I taught in a Korean middle school for 3 years and I am Canadian. I heard that there were two unions for teachers. One was a rubber stamp pro-state status quo group and the other was illegal and agitative, struggling for legitamacy. Don’t know which one KTU is but, hey, you either like horses or you don’t. In my case, Canadians in Korean schools teaching english are foreigners who have to jump countries to give visas and shouldn’t belong to teacher’s unions unless they write the Korean citizenship exam. Mind you, getting benefits working for the Korean government department of education brings one closer to one’s co-teachers.
Michael Wilson, I have just read your post 4 times and it is absolutely incomprehensible.
” Canadians in Korean schools teaching english are foreigners who have to jump countries to give visas”
What in the lord does this mean? It’s like random words. You were an English teacher? Really?
Zdunk’s comment aside, I knew a Michael Wilson from Canada who taught in a middle school in Mun-gyeong, North Gyeongsang province for three years. Granted, I’d imagine Michael Wilson is a pretty common name — even in Canada! — but I can’t help but wonder if this is the same individual…
This Canadian gentleman is quite naive. I wonder how long it will take him to figure out what is really going on; and does not speak Korean?! What a sucker.
?€? Canadians in Korean schools teaching english are foreigners who have to jump countries to give visas?€?
Zdunk, I corrected the “gives” visas to “get visas” but the blog editor in the computer did not come through. I also admit my English grammar is not very good, however, my university BA and my white face was good enough to land me a job in Korea. Working for the Korean Ministry of Education as I did for three years entitled me to free return air fare home each year (to renew my visa), as well as severance pay after three years ( which I heard was the result of a kind of unionization activity on the part of foreign ESL teachers working in this program).
Hi Robert, love your blog. It is the same Michael J. Wilson that taught English with you in Munkyong. And yes I am incredibly incredibly naive, especially about Korean politics. All the best from Canada!
Ouch.
I imagine it’s difficult being the only foreign guy in a local union, especially when some of the teachers there may be very friendly. Even though I’m usually pro-union the KTU is clearly indoctrinating this guy with their unique ‘poor us’ version of Korean history. I feel kinda sorry for the guy.