Joojung Park, Gwangju Seobu Education Director: "Communication Must Come First in Education"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Cho Hyung-joo] Park Joo-jung, Superintendent of Gwangju Western Education Support Office, asserted that "communication must come first in education."

Superintendent Park recently appeared on the program "15 Minutes to Change the World," emphasizing, "Before teaching children, you must first become close to them."

In his lecture, he shared his experiences, including stories of living with students during his teaching days and the process of establishing Yongyeon School.

Superintendent Park said that the number '8' changed his life.

He stated, "One summer night during my teaching days, eight students who were struggling to adapt to school came to the apartment where my wife, daughter, and I lived. They played until late at night and said they felt comfortable and wanted to stay over. From that day on, a special cohabitation of 11 people began in a 10-pyeong apartment for nine months."

He continued, "My wife packed lunchboxes for the students every morning, and I tried to be like their older brother, friend, and father figure. Then, after a few months, an amazing change occurred."

Concerns like "Will they even be able to properly receive a school diploma?" turned out to be mere worries.

Superintendent Park recalled, "The children decided on their own to go to college, worked part-time during vacations to earn money, and used that money to attend academies. Among 650 students in the entire school, the top 1 to 7 students came from our home."

Since then, Superintendent Park developed a new belief that "if you give attention to children and communicate with them, they can definitely change."

He said, "This was a precious experience that marked a major turning point in my career as a teacher. Excited, I immediately rented and remodeled a warehouse house in the outskirts and named it the 'Community Learning Center.'"

He added, "Students stayed there for a certain period, and once they adapted, they recommended other friends themselves and left. Over nine years, 707 students passed through this place. So-called 'problem children' transformed themselves and acted as 'mediators,' delivering positive energy to other friends who had taken a bad path."

Afterward, upon becoming a supervisor, he thought about schools that could embrace 'delinquent youth' who had left school voluntarily or involuntarily.

Superintendent Park said, "In 2008, I made a reckless challenge to persuade 100 teachers to raise funds and establish a school. We rented a closed school that had been shut for 15 years and, together with teachers who shared the vision, refurbished it to create Korea's first long-term entrusted education school for students struggling to adapt to school, 'Yongyeon School.'"

He continued, "The purpose of establishing Yongyeon School was also to communicate with students so that they could realize on their own that they are beings worthy of love. To date, about 1,700 students have passed through this school over 14 years."

He said, "Throughout my lifelong career in education, what students need most is attention and communication. Just like consistently watering bean sprouts, if you give attention to children and wait patiently, they will grow before you know it."

He added, "My dream is to pass on a safe and beautiful world to our children."

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