조정은 (Jungeun Cho)
2024 American Studies Program
Daegu, Secondary
Hello. My name is Cho, Jungeun. I have been teaching English since 2008 and am a mother of three children aged 8, 10, and 12.
I can vividly recall almost every moment of my journey, from applying for the Fulbright Korea English Teachers American Studies Program to writing my final reflection paper aboard an airplane bound for Incheon, Korea. Although the journey was not always smooth and presented challenges and risks, every moment was precious and etched into every cell of my mind and body. Each moment had been a series of trial and error, contributing to my growth both as a teacher and as an individual.
Why I Applied for the Program
Before writing a testimonial about my experience studying in the Fulbright Korea ASP at the University of Delaware, Newark, I went back to read the essay I wrote in September 2023 when I applied for the program. I was amazed to see how clearly and thoroughly I had expressed my motivation for applying to the program in the essay. I confidently confess that I focused attentively on recalling my motivation for applying to the program throughout the four-week stay at UD, rain or shine. That really helped me stay on track while studying and experiencing there even when I wanted to give up on everything.
Although I had several purposes I wanted to study in the program, there were two significant reasons: I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and reevaluate my roles as a teacher in the era of artificial intelligence, feeling frustrated to know my teaching might be useless. I also wanted to have time to get recharged and be reassured of my existence as a teacher after being subjected to a violation of authority by some students last year. I felt insecure and not confident as a teacher, thinking what I had been doing might not help my students live their happy lives after they graduate, especially when students do not show respect to their teachers.
Despite all the reasonable and practical reasons that made me hesitate to apply for the program, I listened to myself saying that I will learn something from the trial to apply for the program itself. I applied for the program and got accepted, thankfully. I strongly recommend that other fellow teachers stop hesitating and give it a try.
My Experience Studying in the Fulbright Korea ASP at UD, Newark
First, I would like to introduce the general structure of the program. The English Language Institute (ELI) at UD offered Korean teachers a variety of programs, including a core course – EFL Teaching Methodology Class – and three elective ESL courses – E-gaming, GLAD, Textbook discussions. These courses provided teachers with the opportunity to engage with international students for listening and speaking practice. In addition to regular courses, several workshops and seminars were given by ELI professors about U.S. Education, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights in the U.S., Motivating Learners, Reading Strategies, Writing with Sources, Drama, and more. Every Friday of the week, the whole class led by Dr. Nigel Caplan, ELI Professor, did weekly reflections or planning presentations for school visits. Lastly, a mini-conference (Final presentation) was held by teams of Korean teachers in the final week where they applied their learning to their lessons after adapting to their own teaching context and collaborating with other teachers.
Other than curriculum-based programs, there were three educational institution visits to UD Lab School (a nursery and preschool), Wilmington Christian School (a local private school), and Newark Senior Center (a local private senior center) where Korean teachers presented some aspects of Korean education and culture. In between the lessons and school visits, we had two excursion day trips to New York City and Washington D.C. on two Saturdays. We also enjoyed school events such as the UD basketball game, hot chocolate day, and much more if we had some energy left, while some energetic teachers still worked out at the gym called UD LilBob. Some Korean teachers traveled to different cities during the weekends to experience different cultures and cuisine. 😊
I personally cannot pinpoint the best part among all those learning experiences. All of them mattered and meant a lot to me. If I were to define my learning experience at UD using a limited number of vocabularies, I would like to use the following key words/phrases: learning by doing, reflection, interaction/engaging, maintaining and stimulating curiosity, respecting each individual, responsibility as a teacher versus accountability as a learner, building independence, and growing understanding. They might sound abstract to you, but I am sure they will come alive and be of great use in your future teaching if you experience them at UD in person.
I was an active participant in every aspect of teaching and learning, not a passive listener and receiver. I appreciated the concept of learning by doing and was inspired by the value of placing the student at the center of the learning experience throughout the program. In addition to internalizing what we learned in each class, I participated in weekly reflection sessions with the group, where we shared our experiences and reflections on what we had learned. We used each other as resources, engaging in in-depth discussions that helped us learn from one another.
Throughout the courses, I spent most of my time engaging in discussions with my classmates and instructors. While the instructors provided lectures and shared tips for teaching and learning, I found that I learned the most from my peers by listening to their perspectives, sharing my own thoughts, and engaging in critical reflection and discussion while interacting with them.
During my visits to the three different educational institutions – UD Lab School, Wilmington Christian School, and Newark Senior Center – I observed a curiosity in the eyes of all participants/learners. I learned that human beings are born with an innate curiosity that can either fade away or be sparked and maintained for the rest of their lives, depending on their environment. As both a teacher and a mother, I found this insight to be significant for my future teaching and parenting.
I felt and learned the value of respecting each individual in the U.S. from people I met, either inside the classroom or outside of it, regardless of their age, culture, economic status, and racial or educational backgrounds. They usually express their expectations transparently, without talking behind others’ backs. They respect, accept, and value others for being different or unique in every aspect. They greet with a smile, make eye contact, and hold doors for others behind them. Especially parents, who respect their children as separate individuals, rather than as extensions of themselves, and support their children’s choices, allowing them to grow in independence. This principle also extends to teachers, who have the responsibility to teach and support their students, while also emphasizing the accountability students should take for their own learning.
Understanding the Mission of the Fulbright Program through Personal Project “Understanding 2024”
When I was preparing to apply for the scholarship program, I visited the Fulbright Korea website to learn about the history of Fulbright and the Korean-American Educational Commission (KAEC). I vividly recall repeating Senator J. William Fulbright’s quotes to familiarize myself with the program’s purpose and what was expected of me.
Honestly, the information on the website, especially why Senator Fulbright believed that educational and cultural exchange were key to promoting world peace, sounded abstract and ambiguous to me. It was challenging to understand how the Fulbright Program could build mutual understanding between countries and contribute to a more peaceful world through educational exchange by providing grants to students, scholars/educators, and professionals worldwide.
While education is considered a powerful tool in almost every area, the idea of educational exchanges promoting mutual understanding and contributing to world peace seemed to have a big gap between reality and my logic. I decided to keep these unresolved questions in mind from the beginning of the program. Eventually, after a week’s stay in the States and meeting people, the concept of my personal mini-project, “Understanding 2024,” was initiated, and it was executed three weeks into my studies at UD, with only one week remaining.
I nicknamed my project “understanding What You Believe Understanding Is.” During my stay, I found myself observing every person I met, including passers-by, and relating to them in terms of the concept of “understanding.” They looked different, came from different backgrounds, spoke different languages, lived in different housing, ate differently, thought differently, believed in different religions, and laughed at different things at different moments.
However, they also liked what we liked – they loved music, their families, and sharing. I also learned that while some of them looked almost similar to us, spoke the same languages, and learned the same things based on a common curriculum, they still did not try to understand others who had a lot in common. This sparked my curiosity about what each individual thinks of “understanding” based on their life experience, beyond mutual understanding or understanding across countries.
I conducted interviews with instructors from ELI, international students from ELI classes, old friends from my previous school in Indiana where I studied as an exchange student, UD faculties, and local residents such as the clerk at the UPS store, the owner of a convenience store, the cashier and server at the burger restaurant, the hotel reception clerk, and the school teacher of a class I observed at Wilmington Christian School.
I explained the purpose of my project and asked the interviewees to define their understanding in their own words based on their life experiences. Some were filmed in front of me, while others sent their videos by email. I have analyzed at least 10 interviewees’ videos and three more notes from those who preferred not to be filmed, and more videos are yet to come.
The amount of data collected may not be enough for a generalization or conclusion of the project. However, the insightful learning I gained was strikingly clear and meaningful in a sense that it aligns with the core mission of the Fulbright program. This realization made me more grateful and more aware of the program. I processed this information while working on my final reflection paper aboard an airplane bound for Incheon, Korea, flying over the Bering Sea, not in Korea or the United States. The remaining flight distance was 5276 km, the remaining flight time was 7 hours and 47 minutes, and the outside temperature was -51℃.
It was truly surprising, gratifying, and empathetic to ask the interviewees to explain in their own words what they believe “Understanding” is, along with the stories of how they have lived their lives according to their beliefs, and to capture them on camera. Their answers reflected their way of life and philosophy, and surprisingly, there were common elements. It was the beginning of “Understanding” that was “love” for humans, or “love” for humanity.
‘Understanding’ is ’trying to get to know their lives first’ for Ken, the owner of the 7-Eleven convenience store.
Aigner, an ELI receptionist, tries to ’remind herself of her old teen-aged self at a similar time’ when she sees her daughter showing early signs of teenage rebellion, which is her way of understanding her daughter.
According to Dr. Scott Stevens, a drama expert and previous ELI director, he calls ‘understanding’ ’to overcome language barriers and cultivate multi-language learners.’
For Princess Amelia, a receptionist at the Baymont Hotel who serves guests from a variety of backgrounds, “understanding” means ’listening to others and starting a conversation.’
Sherri, a waitress at M2O Burger, believes that ‘understanding’ is ’trying to accurately figure out the intentions of others no matter how complex the situation is.’
Jahru, who works as an assistant manager at the UPS Store, said that ‘understanding’ is ’seeing all the possible angles and perspectives.’
Baerbel, who came from Germany to study as an exchange student at UD and is currently working as a faculty member at UD ELI, views ‘understanding’ as ’a lifelong process of understanding and discovering the world that surrounds us and the people who live in that world.’
Although I have not yet received responses from everyone who agreed to my interview request, Dr. Michael Fields’ answer did come to me, as the “seed” in my heart, in the most calm and honest way. He is a professor at UD ELI and has spent much of his lifetime traveling to many countries around the world and meeting people from diverse cultures and backgrounds while teaching English.
He sees ‘understanding’ as something neither you nor I are superior or inferior; each person’s way of life is not interpreted as independent or selfish; one culture is not more right or wrong than another; it is not a judgment that each individual pursues. Respecting and accepting the way of happiness ’as it is’ is what he means by “understanding.” In the end, the beginning of ‘understanding’ is to ’appreciate’ anything, whether people or phenomena, as they are rather than to judge them by any absolute standards.
Through this project, I clearly recognized that recognition and love for others/other cultures is the beginning of “understanding,” and understanding others also begins on the premise of understanding oneself. We need to consciously remind ourselves that, starting with understanding and discovering ourselves, we must apply the same effort to understanding and discovering others in our family, school, workplace, and society in the way we treat ourselves.
When I do not understand the other person, before judging and criticizing the other person, I think I should go back to myself, check and discover what I am thinking and feeling, and take care of myself. In life, there are times when you don’t even understand yourself, much less than the other person.
At such times, I think it would be okay to gratefully accept the “understanding” and “love” that others willingly offer. This is the wisdom we need to live peacefully in this world, and I am confident that, when we all actively exercise this wisdom, no one will be excluded and we will all be able to coexist happily and peacefully at the same time.
I would like to carry with me from the project ‘Understanding 2024’ the simple yet profound conclusion that world and human peace ultimately begin with an individual’s self-understanding, discovery, and self-love. ♥
Why I Recommend the Fulbright Korea ASP
The program offered me a chance to challenge myself by undergoing a rigorous selection process to join the program, as well as to step out of my comfort zone, take risks, and embrace discomfort in person. While you can enhance your English proficiency and participate in teacher training courses in Korea, the anticipation and benefits derived from studying in the Fulbright Korea ASP are unparalleled.
Furthermore, it is challenging yet rewarding for language teachers to live, think, listen, and speak only in English 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in an English-speaking environment. You find yourself struggling to adapt as you meet new strangers from various backgrounds and communicating with them. You also learn how to deal with conflicts while living with someone you hardly know during homestays. Sometimes, things get tougher during your stay, and every moment can feel like a failure or disappointment in yourself.
However, the experience of embracing difficulties, and growing more professionally and maturely as a teacher and an individual, is one of the key reasons why I highly recommend that other fellow teachers apply for the upcoming Fulbright Korea American Studies Program.
Teachers should be interested in exploring something different for growth and lifelong learning for their self-development. They should be constantly stimulated and inspired by the trends and movements in education, not to stay where things are stable, familiar, and comfortable, and to avoid continuing what they were taught with no changes made.
Instead, they should aim to help students think critically and expand their understanding of themselves, people around them, and even the world, ultimately becoming global citizens. I am confident that participants in the program will enjoy the rewarding challenge while making the most of their time in the ASP program.
Messages for Teacher Trainees for the Upcoming Fulbright Korea Program
Before writing this essay about studying in the Fulbright ASP, I had a lot to share with teacher trainees for the next program. Upon reflection, I changed my mind and decided not to speak out of turn, recognizing that every teacher has their own roadmap to follow—where only the map owner can read, not others. This means my advice might confuse or burden them in some ways.
The only piece of advice I would like to convey to my respected teacher trainees is to listen to the signs that your body and mind send. Being in good shape physically and mentally is one of the top priorities while studying in the 4-week program.
Make sure to eat, rest, and sleep well. It would be helpful to stop working and take a nice walk, enjoying the sunshine, without overwhelming yourself with a swamp of assignments.
It would also be beneficial to talk to someone you feel comfortable and safe with about your personal issues, instead of just bottling things up in your mind. I also shared what bothered me with someone I trust. Having someone listen to you attentively with all ears means a lot.
Find your own secret querencia, where you can relax and recharge your energy. I went to Udairy Creamery Cafe on campus alone and treated myself to cookie dough dynamite ice cream on occasion when I had challenging days in a row.
My fellow teachers, please keep in mind that if you lose health, you lose yourself.
Special Thanks to Those Who Influenced and Reflected Me as Mirrors
I want to express my deepest gratitude to all those who supported and inspired me throughout the journey of studying and experiencing in the Fulbright Korea American Studies Program.
Firstly, I am immensely grateful to my family for their love and encouragement. Their constant belief and support in me propelled me to approach the program with a full heart. A special thanks goes to my three children, who successfully made it through a month without me, making me proud of them.
I also extend my appreciation to my colleagues at work for their unwavering support, my recommenders, the panels, and judges for the document screening and interviews for the scholarship program. Thanks to Fulbright Korea/KAEC and Senator Fulbright, who initiated the intercultural education exchange program with a vision of mutual understanding and world peace. My heartfelt thanks also go to the interviewees of my mini-project “Understanding 2024” who willingly shared their life stories and philosophies.
Furthermore, I am indebted to the participants of the ASP 2024, who generously shared their teaching experiences and insights, serving as mirrors throughout the program. Living or working with them in person allowed me to reflect on who I am at every moment. Their existence revealed several aspects of myself that I did not recognize or normally bother to consider.
I was occasionally hurt by a few of them, whether intentionally or not. Initially, I resisted, placing blame on them, but I came to realize that the cause of my suffering was not their actions but rather how I interpreted and took them. Without them, I would not be able to define myself as who I was yesterday, who I am today, and who I choose to become tomorrow. So, thank you, everyone.
Lastly, I want to acknowledge my students in their 3rd grade at Daegu IL Middle School, who had to attend the graduation ceremony without their homeroom and English teacher because I joined this program.
They served as my muse and driving force for teaching, even influencing my excursion trips to New York City and Washington D.C. Playing the role of an avatar for my students, I followed their plans for places to visit, things to do, and foods to eat. Having a clear purpose to visit places and do things for my students, I completed the missions given and verified them through social media, where they sent emoticons of support and encouragement throughout my entire journey in the program, not just the trip.
Therefore, I did not stand alone while posing in front of the White House, the New York Public Library, Times Square, the big Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center, the High Line, and the famous fish and chips restaurant. My students were with me all the time.
Their presence has been a constant source of motivation since I embarked on this journey. Without them, I would not have been able to start and successfully finish this journey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of this journey and for your frequently sent signs of support – likes and hearts on my social media posts.
Thank you, Jungeun, kindly. I am grateful to myself for choosing to apply for this program, believing in myself, and successfully completing it despite all the insecurities and struggles. Congratulations, Jungeun! 🙂
