Special guests from Korea

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In 2007, a Korean translation of the book 위기의 학교 (왜 영국 교육은 실패했는가) (Schools in Crisis: Why Did British Education Fail?), originally published in 2000 by a journalist from The Guardian (original English title: The School Report), gained considerable popularity among Korean educators. Consequently, many Koreans continue to believe that British education remains in crisis.

In 2014, I published my own book called 영국교육은 무너지지 않았다 (British Education Hasn’t Collapsed). Drawing on my experience as a Korean maths teacher, I described the British education system in detail (filling an entire book!) and highlighted the many aspects I truly value. However, not many people enjoy reading books, so while I hoped it would reach a wide audience in education, it didn’t get much attention.

Even so, I kept trying to share my perspective by giving lectures about the positive aspects of British education I had experienced. My goal was to introduce these ideas to Korea, but the overall impact was limited.

This Monday, 20th January, a group of 30 teachers and headteachers from Korea visited the Abbey School. Seeing things for themselves can be much more powerful than just reading about them, so I hope they noticed some of the strengths I’ve seen over the years and might bring even a small part of them back to Korea. While AI was a major focus of their visit, I believe other aspects of British education are just as, if not more, important.

For example, in my fourth English book, British People, You Don’t Know How Kind You Are, I emphasised key values like education grounded in philanthropy, the focus on creative subjects, differentiated learning, a culture of support over competition, and teachers working together as a team. These are some of the qualities I hoped Korean educators could experience firsthand.

In the book, I also explained how I am living proof of the value of British education. My time in the UK helped me grow into a better person, and I am confident the visiting teachers understood what I meant by that.

I’m delighted that the Korean educators were able to see some of the wonderful things we do at the Abbey. Even though they only got a glimpse of what I’ve observed over the past 20 years, it seemed to inspire them as much as it has inspired me.

Mrs Mallett

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