I was born in the early Seventies. I grew up in the 1970’s and 80’s. I lived quite happily without electronic devices such as mobile phones, athough I was jealous of my friend with her Speak & Spell! In the 1970’s we played outside all day, on our bikes or space hoppers, making up games, with no supervision. We were free to roam around the neighbourhood. We only went home for dinner. We knew all our neighbours, they were like aunties and uncles to us.
Most importantly, perhaps, I grew up without the kind of structure that Korean kids endure. Yesterday, my kids sat a test. It was too hard, I felt, for 6 years old in a foreign language. I know I’m teaching ESL, but at that age I feel it should be more play based and about conversation than book and test based. Here kids are under great pressure from such a young age. They are enrolled in multiple academies. Some are not allowed to watch TV. They don’t have gardens to play in as they live in apartments. Everything is scheduled. I hope they get time to play outside and just be children, as I did.
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