A group of South Korean educators left Hobart High School last week with purple and gold T-shirts and a fresh impression of an American curriculum that focuses on hands-on instruction and collaborative learning projects.
They also learned the history of the term “Brickie.”
The 14 South Koreans have been studying at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond since August as part of the university’s International Educator Program.
Education is one of the cornerstones of South Korean life where a high school dropout is virtually non-existent. The country’s emphasis on a strong education workforce has keyed a robust economy, but its teachers sought an closer look at education in the U.S.
The South Korean educators also saw some of the fun side of school in Hobart.
“We tried to explain what a Brickie is and some our language and the history of the brickyard in Hobart,” said Superintendent Peggy Buffington.
She said the South Koreans were surprised to see students offer support for each other with Post-it notes stuck on lockers down hallways. Buffington took the educators into all corners of the school, stopping in an engineering and design class and other classes including theater, radio and TV, physics, English, math, and merchandising.
Several of the teachers are working on their doctorates and writing dissertations on the differences in American and Korean schools, said Carolie Warren, a Purdue Northwest instructor.
The group is assigned to Warren’s education course and is also taking field trips to McKinley Elementary in East Chicago and Scott Middle School in Hammond.
Warren said some South Korean educators are considering changing their teaching style from direct lectures to student-centered instruction so seeing Hobart teachers instruction methods paid off.
“They were impressed with Hobart’s variety of electives and different career pathways,” said Warren.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
