Yoonji+Reem's+Persuasive+Speech

=Pre - writing=

=Speech rough draft= Yoonji Reem English 11 09/21/09

Korea International School should provide at least one subject that is related to Korea.

When was Korea built? When is the Korean Independence date? Who was the second president of Korea? Probably only half, perhaps less than half of you could answer those three questions. Surprisingly enough, students in KIS can name all the US presidents and history but not a single tip about Korean history. Most of the students in KIS embarrassingly doesn’t know how to speak Korean fluently or doesn’t have knowledge about their own native country. It is important to learn and adapt to English education but because over 90 percent of high school students are Korean, KIS should provide at least one subject that is related to Korea so that students can enhance their knowledge and nationality.

Despite the fact that more than 90% of the high school students of Korea International School are actually Koreans, it is common to see students more often entirely adapted to American culture, but siding away from their own culture. Perhaps the reason for that is because many students are from the States and even though they went to Korean school, they mostly only went to the elementary school. However, Ladies and Gentlemen. Do you think that learning about foreign education without a basis of you own nationality is acceptable? Even though some of us do speak Korean at our houses or outside of school, I predict almost none of you have or try to have opportunity to learn more about your country’s language, history and culture. Speaking few words with your siblings, parents or friends doesn’t teach you deeper knowledge or give you any sense of nationality. It is our right and responsibility to carry on our own culture and become more culturally intelligent.

further more, it is nonsense to not know about your own native culture as a basis but only learn about foreign country’s education and culture. To have a basic step of knowledge, we need to have a chance to learn it. KIS doesn’t provide any subjects related to Korea, such as Korean Language, Korean History or Korean Current Events. Instead, Korea International School provides all kinds of subjects such as french, Spanish, World history, US history, and so on excluding the subjects that only focuses on Korea. few weeks ago, our school had a volleyball tournament with Osaka international school, which is in Japan. I was surprised to see how they were fluent in speaking English but at the same time more fluent in speaking Japanese. I felt ashamed that our school students, at least my self, couldn’t introduce Korean Culture in detail. and I asked them how can they be so adapted to both culture, and they said that their school provides both Japanese and English education.

Since KIS is a international school, students should be internationally knowledgeable. By having full concept and knowledge about Korea will help them to share more concrete and diverse when they move on to universities. After all, when students move on to the universities, their ethnicity will be the most significant thing and the basis of their education. It is an embarrassing thing to not have their nationality and culture but only foreignly educated on the surface, when students from other countries have concrete knowledge about their own country. Now you might be questioning, “What about 10% of student body?” By providing a course related to Korea, even as a elective, they would be more culturally educated. If you live at least more than a year in Korea, they should have a chance to really get to know what the country they are living in is about.

We are a great individual with a wide range of intelligence and knowledge, and we are experiencing more privileges and chance to learn other culture. However, we are missing out the most important thing that matters the most, our own culture and nationalistic knowledge. Ladies and Gentlemen, unless Korea International School provide at least one subject that is related to Korea so that students can enhance their knowledge and nationality, we are just a mixture of two shallow cultures.

=Speech final draft= Yoonji Reem Ms. Jacob English 11 September 22, 2009

A Castle On the Sand

Ladies and Gentlemen. Could you do me a favor and take a few seconds to answer these questions? When was Korea built? When is the Korean Independence date? Who was the second president of Korea? Probably only half perhaps less than half of you can answer all these questions. Surprisingly enough, students in Korea International School can name list of all US presidents and historical dates but not a bit of information about Korean history. Most of the students in KIS embarrassingly either don’t know how to speak Korean fluently or don’t know much about their own native country. Although it is important to learn and adapt to English education but since over 90 percent of high school students are Korean, KIS should provide at least one subject that is related to Korea so that students can enhance their cultural knowledge and nationality.

First, despite the fact that more than 90% of the high school students of Korea International School are actually Koreans, it is common to see students more adapted to American culture, than their native culture. The reason for this is because many students are from the States and even though they went to Korean school, they mostly went only to the elementary school. However ladies and gentlemen, do you think that learning about foreign education without a basis of your own nationality is acceptable? Even though some of you do speak Korean at our houses or outside of school, almost none of you have the opportunity to learn more about your country’s language, history and culture. Speaking few words with your siblings, parents or friends doesn’t teach you deeper knowledge or give you nationality. It is our right and responsibility to carry on our own culture and become more intelligent. To have those abilities, we should be able to learn them in school. If KIS is an international school, then it is their right to teach us internationally and provide us a choice to learn in the school. They should provide students a comfortable environment that students can easily learn new knowledge.

Second, it is nonsense to learn other cultures and history but not about your own native culture as a basis. In order to have a basic knowledge about your nationality, you need a chance to learn it. Korea International School’s high school education system doesn’t provide any subjects related to Korea, such as Korean language, Korean history or Korean current events. Instead, KIS provides all kinds of subjects such as French, Spanish, World history, US history, and so on excluding the subjects that focus on Korea. Is Korea not considered as part of “international” education? Few days ago, our school had a volleyball tournament with Osaka International School, which is in Japan. I was surprised to see how they were fluent in speaking English but at the same time more fluent in speaking Japanese. I felt ashamed that our school students, at least my self, couldn’t introduce Korean history and culture in detail. I asked them how they can be so adapted to both culture, and they said that their school provides both Japanese and English education. Wouldn’t it be more international if our school provides both type of education? Wouldn’t it be better if we can proudly present our country and knowledge to others? If KIS provide a subject related to Korea, it would be easier for students to learn and enhance their knowledge instead of avoiding their nationality.

Last, since KIS is an international school, students should have wider knowledge about international culture. High school is after all a process and preparation for moving on to universities. Having full concept and knowledge about Korea will help students to share more concrete and diverse knowledge when they move on to universities. In the end, when you graduate, your ethnicity will be the most significant thing and the basis of your life. It is an embarrassing thing to not have your nationality and culture but only foreignly educated on the surface, when students from other countries have concrete knowledge about their own country. Some of you might think that you know well about Korean history or language. Let’s be honest. Don’t you folks carry around American History textbook and memorize the geography and historical dates by heart but not even bother to learn about Korean history? Can you proudly introduce about Korea and present your self as Korean when you meet people from all over the world? If our school provide us at least a single subject related to our country, we would be much more cultural than now. Now you might be questioning, “What about rest of the 10% of the student body?” By providing a course related to Korea, even as a elective, they would be more culturally educated. If foreign students in our school live at least a year in Korea, they should have a chance to really get to know what the country they are living in is about. Like we have a right to learn about their culture, they have a right to learn about other culture.

Every single person here is a great individual with a wide range of intelligence and knowledge, and we are experiencing more privileges and chance to learn about other culture. However, we are missing out the most important thing that matters the most, and that is our own culture and nationalistic knowledge. Ladies and Gentlemen. Unless Korea International School provide at least one subject that is related to Korea that we can easily approach, and unless we have a chance and a choice enhance our knowledge and nationality, we are just a individual with mixture of two shallow cultures.

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