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Angelena TS #4


On Monday, January 21, Dojun and I had a tutoring session over Skype and we talked about many different topics.  We started out the session by talking about weather patterns in South Korea and the United States.  He told me that South Korea sometimes had bad air quality because of the air pollution in China.  We then talked about some common languages spoken in the United States and South Korea and he said that South Korea does not have a second language and that there is not a lot of cultural diversity like in some areas of the United States.  We then talked about some American history, specifically relating to Native Americans.  He seemed curious to learn more about it so I told him about some of the issues that many Native Americans in this country have faced throughout the years.  Afterwards, I asked him about what school in South Korea is like, specifically the experiences of many young students.  He shared with me that many high school students must deal with a lot of expectations and pressure from their parents to get into a good university.  At first, I was under the impression that there were only a few universities in South Korea and that it would be difficult to find a job if someone was unable to get in those schools.  Dojun explained to me that it is true that there are only a few really good universities there, but that it is not impossible for someone to find a good job if they are not able to get into these schools.  He told me that many conservative parents place the emphasis of going to a good school on their children and that many young people in high school and college are starting to break away from this mentality.  I then talked to him about options for higher education in the United States and told him the differences between Ivy League universities, state universities, community colleges, and trade schools. I got a much better idea of what the experience of high school and getting into college in South Korea is like through this session, which I think is good to know since I wish to teach there one day. Like our other tutoring sessions, I would correct Dojun whenever he would pronounce something incorrectly and I would ask him to clarify something if I did not fully understand what he was trying to say. 

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