Day #3, July 8

On day three we visited a special education school for the severe and profoundly disabled. It was a school of over three hundred apparently junior high aged children. We began our visit by being received by the principal in his room with the two rows of over-stuffed chairs facing each other. This seems to be standard furniture in every school we visited. After greeting us and talking to us about his school, the principal brought us to an assembly hall where all of the students were waiting for a performance of a group of musicians who play traditional Korean instruments. The students were also waiting for us! We stayed for the musical performance. I was impressed by how the music engaged the children. Some who seemed spastic, moved in rhythm to the music. Others who needed to move were allowed by the adults to get up and dance or move freely to the music.

I am curious as to what criteria are used to place students in this school. When I visited the Gumjeong Elementary School I noticed a few students with Downs' Syndrome in the general education classrooms. They seemed to be as disabled, or more, than some of the students I saw in this special school. What determines if a child goes to a "special" school as opposed to a "general" school?

We were next taken to the Global Village. This is an educational facility built for the sole purpose of teaching English. Every student in the sixth grade is required to spend part of their school day in the Global Village. Not only are there classrooms, but also simulation areas for experiential learning. We observed students on an "airplane" learning the vocabulary necessary to travel.

We were taken to lunch to an Asian buffet. I ate lots of sushi - kinds I had never seen before.

After lunch we went to the Busanjin market. This reminded of the market in Chilpancingo - floors of vendors selling everything you can imagine. Outside the market people sat on the sidewalk selling produce and fish. This mix of modern and traditional so reminds me of Mexico. I was late getting back to the group because I couldn't find the stairwell that went to the fourth floor. I finally made it when I was paged over the intercom and one of the vendors grabbed me and led me to the stairs.

We went for dinner to another high scale Chinese restaurant in a hotel overlooking the ocean and the Gwangan Bridge. The food was great. We were the guests of several school superintendents. At the end of the meal we all sang Arirang, a Korean song we had been practicing all day on the bus.

We returned to the hotel and a group of us went out for karoeke.