Week 3- 2nd draft- Choe Byoung bin

200703360 Choe Byoung bin

Education is To Question About Yourself

     What does it mean to be educated? In a broad sense, it is to get cognition. Cognition means that you aware the reason for this or that. To know the reason, you should be curious and need to ask questions about things presented to you. In my opinion, Korean educational system kills this ability to ask questions freely. Korean students are taught to accept what is proven through tests or exams. Moreover, getting into good universities is considered to be a major goal because it guarantees future success in the job market. Currently, over 90% of high school students go to colleges for this reason. That is why I believe students who are only interested in study should go to colleges. Next, Korean educational system should be designed to develop students' ability to question, search and wait for the answer. This would probably be the real meaning of power of thoughts. Last but not least, enthusiasm and confidence to pursue what students really want in life should be boosted through teaching diverse aspects of life and people who lead not normal or regular but interesting life. Korean education should work as school of self-realization by initiating students' true desire of what they want to be and presenting various ways of how to navigate through lives on their own.  

 

What Huangshan Trip Has Taught Me

In year 2007, to celebrate my grandmother's 80's birthday, my family took a trip to China. We went to Shanghai and then flew over to Huangshan (yellow mountain), which is in the southern part of the Anhui province in eastern China. Huangshan is very famous for pine trees distorted by the wind and crissy-crossed roads to get to the top. Monkeys, instead of showing alarm at visitors' intrusions, followed us, jumping from branch to branch in the thick woods, seemingly eager to catch something to eat. Most hikers found it spooky yet fun to be tailed by a monkey. Each foot following the other, I could see trees thining with the increasing altitude and the peak growing nearer. Top of Hunagshan was under the white blanket of clouds since it is in the moist region and later found out that this splendid view is known as the Sea of Clouds. I felt like I was floating, seeing a bald, craggy expanse of rock surrounding me and the clouds together. If there was a lesson from the trip, although it was sudden, I realized how precious it is to be with my family. I could see plants, animals and microorganisms live off each other, breathe and eat each other's wastes, depend on one another all the way to the top. Since I am, too, part of the nature and so depend on my family, I felt thanks and love for them.