::A Geek in Korea::

Our new curriculum has added more wonderful books from “American” classrooms. I’m not a history major, but a lot of what I’m teaching are very bold sorts of lies. Lies of omission, lies of simplification, lies of revision. I know the books are targeted at second grade students in the United States, but wow, it’s pretty crappy to have to teach to a bunch of Korean children.

Not every lesson is filled with historical whoppers. There are units about communities, neighbors, as well as map reading and other practical lessons that aren’t bad. I’d be fine with teaching those sorts of lessons if that’s what we did the entire book.

It’s just when they brush over the history of the colonies and indigenous populations I take issue. There is a page with a beseeching Pocohantas protecting an injured settler from an American Indian about to smash him on the head a second time. Pocahontas has her hand up in protest as she cradles the settler’s head on her knee. According to the book, Pocahontas made the American Indians “friends” with the English settlers because she could speak English. They follow it up with a question like this:

“A new friend in school can’t speak English. What will you do to help her?”

Subtle. People need to speak English to be helpful. People that don’t speak English will probably bash you in the head. Nice. Simple as that. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with English speaker? Only someone that tries to hit people in the head with a club. This is what American second graders learn?

I know Koreans are indoctrinated in propaganda extra early in their “Society” classes as well. Young students tell me that Japanese people (or Americans, or Afghani…) people are nothing more than baby eating savages depending on the political climate of the country at the time.

When things get heated, I just try to keep my baby consumption to moderate levels until the crisis at hand blows over. Once the teachers in their elementary schools have a more politically viable target, I can go back to my barbecue baby back ribs in peace. (What…that’s what they are, aren’t they?)

It’s sick, and I hate that sort of indoctrination, but living in a country with an overwhelmingly dominant homogeneous culture, it’s not exactly surprising that minority and outside opinions sometimes getting less than a fair shake. Students have this coming at them from all sides, and I don’t feel good about participating in it, even if I soften the blow from time to time by calling the Pilgrims, “Funny hat people”.

The book isn’t all bad. There are interesting profiles of minorities and other people in history that made a difference in shaping America politically. None of that is very relevant to Korean students. It’s also so simplified and so revision friendly that all context is destroyed. Of course, that’s not what the book was designed for since it wasn’t explicitly made for export, so to expect anything relevant is pointless anyway. I do the best I can with the “good” materials, try to work the best I can with the “bad” materials, and simply ignore anything completely pointless or down right bad.

There were a lack of options when choosing a book for this level with this topic, so I should be happy I have any materials at all. At least I grew up with the history they’ve doctored in the book. My Canadian coworker has extra problems trying to swallow the stuff they throw in since they have their own cultural ideologies embodied in their own historical retelling.

If someone is going to teach lies about America to small impressionable children, it might as well be me.