When the first South Korean cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) were discovered in early February, many considered it insignificant. However, the virus spread throughout Korea at a rapid rate, and by the end of the month, there were over one thousand cases in the country. In response to the sudden epidemic, the government released a statement advising the limitation of social interactions and therefore the shut-down of schools. At the time, many Korean public schools were in the midst of their winter breaks and were therefore not greatly affected by this policy. However, it had a significant impact on the majority of private international schools in Korea, where students and teachers had already returned to school after the winter break. Many of these schools soon decided to temporarily shut down and began offering an online curriculum instead in order to prevent obstructions in their students’ education.

One such international school is Korea International School. The students that once roamed the school hallways have conflicting views and opinions about the sudden change in the education system. 

“I like regular school better than virtual school,” one student stated when asked to provide their thoughts on the matter. “I think I personally learn better when I discuss the material that I’m taught with my peers. Partner and small group discussions are hard to conduct virtually, so my teachers don’t have us do it as much.” Other students have also complained, “I think we’re actually being assigned more work than when we were in regular school to make up for us not actually being there,” and “Some classes are harder to take from home than others, like Physical Education, Music, and Art classes.”

However, there are a few students who prefer it to the standard school system. One student stated, “I like virtual school because in some ways, I think it puts less pressure on students. For example, the in-school presentations we’re frequently ｒｅｑｕｉｒｅd to give are less stressful when they’re virtual for me. I know that in-school presentations are chances for me to develop better public speaking skills, but it’s nice to have a break from the constant pressure.” 

As coronavirus infection rates continue to rise every day, the students attending international schools in Korea are unsure of how long they will have to continue their education online. Public schools in Korea are likely to make the switch to virtual school as well. However, despite the hardships they are encountering, students in Korea are hard at work adapting and finding new ways to learn, and will certainly continue to do so in the future.

Seoyeon (June) Yang
Grade 8
Korea International School