Teacher Preparation Thrives in South Korea

By Mary Ellen Maunz

In late May and early June 2006, a MACTE On-Site team from the United States visited two Korean teacher preparation programs, in Dae Gu and Seoul. Called by the MACTE office the “visit of all visits,” the team conducted the two on-site visits back-to-back, the first time such a schedule had been attempted. Strenuous but successful, the schedule worked, and the MACTE team had the opportunity to visit the two training centers and outstanding schools in both cities.

Montessori is thriving in Korea, having developed into an attractive choice for many parents, as well as an excellent professional choice for young women entering the teaching profession. Several adult students explained that Montessori training was particularly satisfying as it provided a forum for genuine discussion and personal growth that is sometimes lacking in the traditional Korean college setting. Others with 20 years of experience said they were learning how to teach for the first time, having experienced a complete change of heart about how to raise children and a profound change in the quality of their lives.

The schools the team visited were beautifully designed, fully equipped and immaculate. The team was deeply impressed and inspired by the quality of work and the environments at the toddler, early childhood and elementary levels. The schools were among the nicest the team had seen anywhere in the world.

Montessori elementary in Korea faces some unique challenges. Private schools are relatively few and there is a national curriculum with requirements that must be met. Few principals are knowledgeable of, or willing to support, Montessori. Every four or five years, teachers and principals are required to rotate to a new school. Teachers told an all-too common story of starting a class with their internship, making and collecting the materials needed to teach and building a strong program. Then, after the requisite number of years, they moved to a new school where the principal was not so sympathetic, and the teachers were not allowed to re-develop their Montessori program. Or, in some cases, they have to do it all alone with little support. Yet despite the difficulties, there are a number of high quality elementary Montessori classrooms in both public and private schools in Korea.

The MACTE team discovered that longtime course directors Dr. Young Soon Jun and Dr. Jae Woo Lee, both tireless Montessori pioneers in Korea, had never met! The American team decided to do something about it and arranged a dinner where they and several of their supporters could meet. Hosted by Dr. Marlene Barron and Westside Montessori School, the dinner and entertainment was an historic moment offering the possibility of building a stronger, united Montessori in Korea. The MACTE team shared the unifying learning experience MACTE has brought to American Montessori and offered hope that they can collaborate to continue to build a stronger Montessori movement in Asia by working together.

Mary Ellen Maunz, a Montessorian since 1972, served seven years on the MACTE Commission for Accreditation, ten years on its Board of Directors and three years as Vice President of the International Association of Montessori Educators. She serves now as Curriculum Coordinator for Middle Creek Montessori Academy in Bozeman, MT, and consults with the Early Reading Company.