For instance, while the school year in America usually goes from August or September until May or June, in Korea, the school year lasts from March of one year to January of the next. So, in March of this past year, my 5th-graders became 6th-graders! While kids in America have a long summer break and a relatively short winter break, in Korea, the opposite is true, with my winter break lasting for about a month and a half.
Another difference between schools in America and Korea is that in Korean elementary school it is mandatory to learn a second language: English. All over the country, students begin learning English in the 3rd grade. I think this is very impressive. Because English and Korean have such different grammar and vocabulary, English can be tricky to learn at a young age. Moreover, once students reach middle school, many students take on a third language, such as Chinese or Japanese.
There are other cultural differences within schools that I've noticed as well. When I started teaching in Korea, I realized that students typically have a very independent and casual relationship with teachers--even though they are respectful. After students finish lunch, they can go wherever they want within the school and are trusted to return to their class in a timely fashion from 3rd grade onwards. Students are respectful of their teachers (making sure to bow and address them with a respectful Sonsaengnim, or "teacher," whenever they greet them), but many students also enjoy spending their free time talking to their teachers.
In general, Korea's academic system emphasizes classroom results over extracurriculars and other interests. Most students apply to college based on the results of a single college entrance test.
