"You are well-made puppet!"
This is what most people in internet say to students in the school I'm in. They say all the accomplishments we have made are not ours but 'made' by our parents' wealth and greed toward us. They also regard us as robots or puppets that are controlled by parents and academy. If we proudly tell them our dream, they won't believe that's 'our' dream but say that's your 'parents' dream' thinking we are simply brainwashed by our parents to have the dream.
Some people (including some teachers in this school) also say our parents are ruining us, not helping. They assure that parents' interference and greed toward us hinder us from studying and dreaming freely. They point out situations that parents examine our grade and send us to academy to raise our test score as problems, and criticize the parents and us, who don't resist against parents who strongly govern us.
As a student who is often called 'puppet' or 'robot' by those people, I'm critical about their opinions.
One year ago, a Korean drama 'Sky Castle' was loved by many people, and most of the people who watched it agreed that 'there is no villain in the drama'. Viewers even did not dislike Yae Seo, a main character in the drama who had a violent temper, was greedy, and did whatever she can do for the test score, but actually supported her truly wishing her to enter the university she want to go. The reason why people could hate nobody in drama was because all the characters furiously worked hard for their goal with sincerity and passion. Nobody who knows how much Yae Seo desperately wanted to be in the university and efforts she had put for it would say 'she is not qualified to go the university' saying 'their parents made her'.
I am sure there are a lot of people like Yae Seo in Korea, especially in this school. We have enough time, wealth, and mental support to solely concentrate on school work. Our parents sometimes force them to study and send them expensive academy to raise their test scores, make them get prize in competitions, or get a consulting from counselor to make a strategy for going college. The fact that We spend tremendous money and time on studying than others cannot be denied, however, that is not the only factor that made us now.
Though we may have started studying because of their parents' greed, we find pleasure to study, interest, and dreams we want to achieve in the process. We recognize and admit that we have much more benefit in studying and our accomplishments certainly got help from others such as academy or good school. We just not take them for granted but appreciate them and wish to share the benefits by studying in order to achieve a dream that can help people who are in poverty. We just not wish to be a doctor, artist, or lawyer to earn much more money or because we are simply 'brainwashed' by our parents. Instead, We have a 'dream' beyond the job they want to get, such as 'developing a medicine for incurable diseases' or 'spreading the value of Korea tradition all over the world through video'. Parents or teachers are not the only one who made so-called 'elite Korean students', but also themselves, who have their own dream and do their best in order to achieve it.
Of course, it cannot denied that there are some students who are just simply studying like 'robot' under controllers, their parents or academy students without any dream. Also, some students are definitely suffering from their parents who just 'force' them to study neglecting their opinion, dream or stress they get.
However, the efforts of students who are working hard with big dreams should not be neglected simply assuming that all the accomplishments are 'made' by parents just because they satisfy good conditions to study such as wealth and greedy parents.
Though we may have started studying because of their parents' greed, we find pleasure to study, interest, and dreams we want to achieve in the process. We recognize and admit that we have much more benefit in studying and our accomplishments certainly got help from others such as academy or good school. We just not take them for granted but appreciate them and wish to share the benefits by studying in order to achieve a dream that can help people who are in poverty. We just not wish to be a doctor, artist, or lawyer to earn much more money or because we are simply 'brainwashed' by our parents. Instead, We have a 'dream' beyond the job they want to get, such as 'developing a medicine for incurable diseases' or 'spreading the value of Korea tradition all over the world through video'. Parents or teachers are not the only one who made so-called 'elite Korean students', but also themselves, who have their own dream and do their best in order to achieve it.
Of course, it cannot denied that there are some students who are just simply studying like 'robot' under controllers, their parents or academy students without any dream. Also, some students are definitely suffering from their parents who just 'force' them to study neglecting their opinion, dream or stress they get.
However, the efforts of students who are working hard with big dreams should not be neglected simply assuming that all the accomplishments are 'made' by parents just because they satisfy good conditions to study such as wealth and greedy parents.
Thoughtful post. There will always be criticisms and assuming biases against KMLA and any type of "elite" education, and - at the end of the day - that's "okay" and, unfortunately, normal. Teachers here have to realize that their salaries and good job conditions are the results of parent's and student's sacrifice, and - often - the fact that hakwons etc. are doing for students what KMLA often doesn't (or can't, or won't). To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the school motto and am not sure anyone can honestly say they "study not for the sake of personal gain, but study for learning itself." You can do both, and the cliche of having a "dream" isn't essential to that. So - "haters gonna hate" and "you do you" are helpful memologies to keep in mind.
ReplyDelete