GI Volunteers Help Korean Kids Learn English

Via Nomad, comes this USFK good news story that actually made it into a Korean newspaper:

They attend the English class in the Underwood Education Hall of the Saemoonan Presbyterian Church in Jongno, central Seoul, every Thursday and Saturday afternoon.

The class began on April 19 with 15 children, aged from 12 to 13, from the Jongno Social Welfare Center, with cooperation of soldiers from the 14th Military Police Detachment of the USFK and Korean Augmentation Troops to the U.S. Army. But the idea for this program was developed between Park Jin, an entrepreneur and church member, and USFK Provost Marshall Sgt. Maj. Patrick O’Connor, who have cultivated a friendship that dates back to 1983, when they served together as military policemen at Camp Page in Chuncheon, Gangwon province.

On May 20, Lt. Col. David Briar, USFK Provost Marshall deputy commander, and Min Kyung-chang, a Yonsei University professor and church member, signed an agreement to commit ten soldiers from the 14th Military Police Detachment and KATUSAs to teach English to underprivileged Korean children.

If anyone is wondering the signing of such an "agreement" does not mean this soldier are being forced to teach English.  It is more of a formality and possible photo op than anything.  Soldiers don’t need to be forced to do something like this because there are plenty of volunteers.  A battalion usually has around 400-500 soldiers and 10 soldiers volunteering to teach English is not a huge number meet. 

All across USFK there are programs just like this and from my personal experience being involved in them is that they are definitely a positive experience for both the soldiers and the children.  However, programs like this don’t get soldiers out of the ville, because the type of people who hang out in the ville don’t volunteer for things like this to begin with.  Usually the more high speed soldiers who regularly volunteer for things anyway participate, which is fine with me because than the military is putting their best soldiers out to represent USFK. 

Now where I have seen issues arise with these programs is managing Korean expectations.  I have seen programs that were agreed upon to be only once or twice a week suddenly start growing because the teachers start asking the volunteers to come on additional days instead of requesting it through the unit commander.  Like I said before, usually the high speed soldiers that usually volunteer for things anyway participate in these programs and find it hard to tell the Korean teachers no so they agree to the extra days.  So I have had to mediate before with soldiers who felt they were being taken advantage of to ensure that the program stays within the agreed upon days and not expanded without consultation with the unit commander.  The other problem is field time.  Korean teachers have to be aware from the beginning that military duties for soldiers take priority over their volunteer duties with their English program.  So if the program is managed well, it is definitely a good thing for everyone involved, but mismanagement could lead to some hurt feelings and missed expectations.

Anyway, I’m glad the Korea Herald ran the story.  Will many Koreans read about this?  Probably not because not many Koreans read the Korean Herald.  I wish more stories like this would make it in the bigger papers like the Chosun, Joong Ang, and Donga Ilbos.  You will read in these papers though about the next big GI crime case thats for sure.