March 6, 13, 20 / April 17, 24, 2010
Twelve educators from the New York metropolitan area learned about Korea in this introductory course for teachers held over the course of five Saturdays in March and April. Offered in conjunction with the New York City Department of Education's After School Professional Development Program (ASPDP), the in-service course focused on exposing educators to Korea and providing a framework for bringing Korea into the classroom. The teachers began their studies with Korean cultural geography led by Gail Ludwig, professor of geography from the University of Missouri–Columbia. Jin Young Choi, professor of American literature (emeritus) at Chung-Ang University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, provided an overview of Korean culture with lectures on Korean stories and folktales, holidays and festivals, and Korean families through literature. Shin-hark Suk, a former Korean-language instructor at Queens Community College and The Korea Society, introduced the teachers to written and spoken Korean while Grace Park, calligrapher and artist from Potomac, Maryland, led participants through a hands-on brush painting and calligraphy workshop. Angela Cleveland, guidance counselor from Auten Road Intermediate School in Hillsborough, NJ, brought the course concepts alive for the classroom with her presentation, "Sharing Teaching Ideas," while Patricia Rosof, adjunct instructor of history at St. Francis College, worked with teachers across multiple sessions to mold the academic into classroom content. The course ended with an interactive lecture and discussion on Korean history with Gari Ledyard, Sejong Professor of Korean Studies (Emeritus) at Columbia University, followed by a Korean lunch at Busan Korean restaurant and a lesson plan presentation by participants. The participants were impressed with the quality of instruction offered at The Korea Society. One teacher wrote, "This was absolutely the best P-credit course I have taken. The information and presentations were amazing."