Over the course of five weeks in May and June, Mason Korea Professors Eunmee Lee and Teresa Michals taught introductory communication classes to some 30 middle school students as part of the 2021 Incheon Neungheodae Middle School Global Leadership Program organized by the Office of Community Relations. Two Mason Korea students, Dawn Oh and Hannah Clark, also supported the program as mentors and teaching assistants. For the last session, Associate Dean of Student Affairs Yorgun Marcel delivered a special lecture on global leadership.
Lee, Assistant Professor of English for Academic Purposes, and Michals, Associate Professor of English, expressed their awe at the students’ level of enthusiasm and engagement. Each professor taught a group of 15 students comprised of first to third- year middle school students. The classes were conducted completely in English.
“These middle schoolers were more active and responsive in class than I expected,” said Lee. “In a sense, they were more 'responsive' compared to my students at Mason Korea, which I interpret to mean that they were excited to take classes from university professors and longed for classes that are completely conducted in English. I was honored to be a part of this small but impactful program.”
“The students were terrific, really bright and sincere,” said Michals. “As an American, I really enjoyed this glimpse of the Korean education system outside of our campus. It helps me understand where my Mason Korea students are coming from.”
Dawn Oh, a freshman economics major, served as a mentor and highly recommends other Mason Korea students to sign up for the program. “Being part of the program was mind blowing,” she said. “It was completely different from what I imagined. The students were very lively during class discussions and really understood the material. This completely changed the mentor-mentee dynamic, and opened by eyes to the beauty of teaching. I am so thankful I got to be a part of this program.”
Hannah Clark, a visiting student from the Fairfax campus, volunteered to teach one session and thoroughly enjoyed it.
“As I plan to become a teacher and have completed several educational courses, this was a great chance for me to meet local Korean middle school students and teach them English and other topics,” she said. “I had never imagined that I could teach a class in a local Korean school! When I return to Fairfax, I will continue taking courses to be fully qualified for teaching.”
“I very much enjoyed the opportunity to share my perspectives on various leadership models with the students,” said Marcel. “They displayed a great sense of maturity and engagement in understanding the role that context plays in decision making within the various leadership models that we discussed, and more importantly how their respective personalities, cultures, and beliefs could play a part in shaping their individual approach.”
June 24, 2021
