College Students Transforming into ‘Good Teacher’ Every Friday

Dongmyeong University Department of Early Childhood Education, 6 Years of 'Good Teacher' Volunteering for Pediatric Cancer Patients
Practicing Talent Donation through Substitute Kindergarten Classes and Play Education

Dongmyeong University Campus.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] College students transformed into ‘Good Teachers’ once a week. The teachers were particularly fond of chatting and playing during class. Only certain young patients were their students, and Fridays at this ‘school’ were happy class days without any ‘absences’ or ‘tardiness’.

Students from Dongmyung University’s Department of Early Childhood Education have been conducting the ‘Good Teacher’ activities through educational talent donation since 2015, now in its sixth year. Good Teachers have been filling the time that pediatric cancer patients lost while fighting their illness.

This initiative began out of concern that children might struggle to adapt to elementary school due to a lack of kindergarten experience. The classes and play activities, which substitute for kindergarten curriculum, serve as both education and volunteer work.

Dongmyung University’s Early Childhood Education students collaborate with the Busan Naeum Pediatric Cancer Center to carry out Good Teacher activities every year during the first and second semesters. This year’s Good Teachers are students Kang Min-ji, Lee Ye-won, Lee Ha-neul, Jang Soo-yeon, and Jung Bo-eun. They become Good Teachers every Friday.

Activities include learning about summer fruits, fruit quizzes, making watermelon fans, self-introduction games, making name tags, deep-sea exploration play, creating personalized juice cups, practicing fruit lettering, making paper hats, crafting personalized sunglasses, and making fishing gear and fish. The classes are filled with exciting play and crafts.

Second-year student Lee Ha-neul said, “I have been participating in Good Teacher activities since my first year, and it is very rewarding to see the young patients eagerly waiting to meet the teachers and enjoying the play classes.”

Dongmyung University’s Department of Early Childhood Education runs character education programs like Good Teacher to cultivate early childhood teachers with professionalism and leadership. Various service-learning activities such as puppet shows and musical performances for local young children are also consistently conducted.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.