The First Accreditation Korean Language Class at Pike Road Schools

“Difference may make you feel uncomfortable, but that doesn’t mean that it is wrong”   -Ms. Juyeon Jo 

 Korean as foreign language courses in Alabama are officially accredited in 2021. This year the first Korean class was completed successfully at Pike Road Schools.  

This week, I interviewed Mrs. Sonya Park and Ms. Juyeon Jo, who are the main teachers in the newly accredited Korean classes. They explained that accreditation is an official acknowledgment of the Korean language as a foreign language credit for college requirements and an opportunity to introduce another culture and language to the public schools.  

They were excited to teach students whose cultural learning opportunities were limited.  

Our teachers sought out lesson materials, based on the students’ environments, combining Alabama and Korean culture to help bridge unity since that is part of our mission. Specifically, they both picked the theme of their course as “Catch the K-Wave: At School”, so the students can learn by using more practical Korean language and vocabulary.  

 Mrs. Sonya explained that she taught practical vocabulary and phrases to students which allowed them to use such expressions in their classroom circumstances, which led to better interaction between the cultures. 

The fund for this program is subsidized by the Korean Ministry of Education and the Atlanta Korean Education Center.

By Uiseon Sunny Kim