system. Hangul is one of the most scientifically designed and efficient scripts in the world, consisting of an orthography of twenty-four basic letter shapes arranged in syllable blocks. Hangul was promulgated by Joseon king, Sejong the Great( r. 1418 – 1450) to replace the ancient Hanja writing system( Chinese characters representing Korean sounds). Since 1447, Hangul has been the predominant script for both Koreas and the Korean diaspora. A vast array of written materials in many genres is available in Hangul, and now increasingly in English. The Korean government has had a major focus on developing the level of English for all students in the promotion of becoming global citizens.
Since the 1990s, the Calgary Board of Education’ s( CBE) International Bureau has had a significant role in attaining that goal. Initially, the CBE provided training for Korean English teachers, offering a month-long
immersion of cultural and linguistic experiences while learning second language pedagogies. An official memorandum of understanding( MOU) was eventually signed between the CBE and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. The MOU included ongoing English teacher training, leadership training for Korean school principals, educational tours to Seoul, and teacher exchanges in which CBE teachers spent a year in Seoul assisting with English-language programming. The CBE and other school boards throughout the province welcomed thousands of Korean students over the years.
I had the privilege of being on one of those educational tours, graciously hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. I saw first-hand the high educational standards, the quality schools, the dedication and skill of Korean educators, and the active participation of parents in the educational progress of their children. My friend
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