KSL: To be or not to be

밴쿠버 조선 news@vanchosun.com 기자의 다른 기사보기

By Yonah Kim Martin

In grade nine, my English teacher Mrs. Brown introduced me to the world of pen pals in a time when there was no internet, e-mails or MSN - there was only good ol' snail mail. I had four pen pals from around the world, including a girl named Christine in Germany.

What I remember most about Christine was that she knew four languages, including German and English. In fact, many Europeans that I have met or taught know at least 3 or more languages.

According to a colleague who teaches late French immersion at Banting Middle School in Coquitlam, her students begin French immersion in grade six, but by the time they graduate, they speak French as well as students who began French immersion in kindergarten. This is good news.

This is especially good news for my nephew (soon to be in grade six) who desires to speak Korean fluently. He is already fluent in French since he has been in French immersion at Jules Quesnel since age five, but he hasn't had the same opportunities to be immersed in Korean.

Now, his dream is almost a reality.

The VSB [Vancouver School Board] and BCSAKS [BC Society for Advancement of Korean Studies] working with the Faculty of Education, UBC, took a joint initiative to develop the Korean 5 - 12 Integrated Resource Package (IRP) for all BC schools 2 years ago, and have completed the project. As of March 15, 2005, the BC Government approved the created IRP as the learning basis of Korean as a second language (KSL), which became a teachable subject for credit in schools. (from www.vsbcsaks.org)

Almost because although the Korean IRP has been ministry approved, there are tight budgets and stiff competition for students. The reality is that there must be a minimum number of students enrolled in order for courses or programs to be viable. Teachers can be forced to teach subjects outside of their specialty area in situations where their programs had to be shut down or cancelled due to lack of student interest. Now with KSL being the "new kid on the block", I wonder what French, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish or other second language teachers think about that? Everyone is fighting for the same students for their language programs.

Simply stated - KSL may sit quietly on the shelf or become an extended-day program (be scheduled only before or after regular school hours) or be offered on Saturdays unless enough students in a school demand and enroll in KSL at all levels.  Don't get me wrong, extended-day programs or Saturday schools are a great starting point. They are stepping stones to making KSL as commonplace as French or Japanese.

Ah...but wouldn't it be nice to see KSL in every school as a second-language option? How wonderful it would be for my nephew to be able to take KSL when he enters secondary school in two years?  It would be a dream come true.

As a parent, as an educator, and as a proud Korean-Canadian, I am grateful to Dr. Seung Soo Lee and the dedicated BCSAKS team for developing the KSL program and for the progress they have made to date.

Now, it's up to our whole community to respond to the challenge before us: making KSL a viable program in every school throughout BC - one student, one course, one school, one district at a time.

If you are a student, a parent with children who can enroll in a KSL program or if you know of anyone with children, I urge you to visit the BCSAKS website (www.vsbcsaks.com) and register today.

Let's ensure that KSL is here to stay!

광고문의: ad@vanchosun.com   기사제보: news@vanchosun.com   웹 문의: web@vanchosun.com