Korean, U.S. kindergarten students share cultural exchange

By Sgt. Im Jin-min (USAG-Yongsan)September 17, 2008

Korean, U.S. kindergarten cultural exchange
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea - Korean kindergarten students from Yusung Kindergarten in Itaewon visited Seoul American Elementary School Sept. 11 as part of a Good Neighbor Program cultural exchange.

"The Good Neighbor Program has a simple goal to encourage 'good neighbors,' not only between Soldiers, but their families and children," said Michael Nutter, U.S. Forces Korea Good Neighbor Program coordinator. "For young students, such a cultural exchange may help them grow up to cherish the Korean-American alliance."

Yusung Kindergarten, just a few blocks away from Yongsan Garrison, emphasizes the English language in its curriculum. "The garrison is very close to the school, but up until now we haven't had the opportunity to visit," said Lee In-sun, a Yusung teacher.

Stephanie Williams, an English teacher at YSK, helped coordinate the visit.

"The children were very curious about the American base and wanted to come for a visit," she said. "So we came up with a few ideas and contacted the school."

Before touring the school, the 12 students had toured the garrison fire station and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the playground.

"From the adults point of view, we want community relations, but from the children's point of view, they want interaction," Nutter explained. "The teachers worked to provide a space for such an interaction to take place."

Led by the SAES assistant principal Kristopher Kwiatek, the Korean students toured the school library, the computer labs and the gym to see how their American counterparts spend their time at school.

They also joined a kindergarten class during free time to group together and pick from a selection of tables with various "projects" such as toy blocks, coloring sheets and more.

"We had a wonderful time," Williams said. "It was fun to see what projects they were doing, and compare to what we do in our classrooms. Overall the kids enjoyed meeting each other."

Ruth Emery, one of the Kindergarten teachers at SAES, said her students were very excited about having them to class.

"Before they came we talked about cultural differences, and made bookmarks for them that had 'Welcome to our School' in English on one side and Korean on the other so that they would remember us," Emery said.

The Good Neighbor Program is an area in which Yongsan officials put in great efforts to be successful, Nutter said.

"We continuously have to experiment and discover the best ways Korean and American students can interact on a cultural and educational basis so that a better understanding between the two cultures may happen," Nutter said. "We are hoping that this program may reach all areas of activities and programs in Yongsan."

Related Links:

USAG-Yongsan's Flickr Photo Gallery

USAG-Yongsan Official Web Site

USAG-Yongsan Good Neighbor Program