A Beautiful Sharing of Knowledge in SMU

YL-TESOL volunteer project of SMU was begun at the end of 2008 to answer several converging needs of Seoul’s educational and social landscape. It started a volunteering work from time that two professors began discussing ways to address concerns of several news articles about the widening gap between the academic haves and have-nots. Professor Nevin Liddy of YL-TESOL told “Foreign language ability, particularly in English, is often a factor in being accepted for grade schools, universities, jobs, and promotions. This means that children of parents with higher social statuses are more likely to attend better schools and acquire jobs that lead to a higher social status; children of lower income families cannot.” Therefore, YL-TESOL trainees have taken time to find young learner classrooms that are there to help the kids that cannot get quality education any other way. YL-TESOL trainees help financially or sociallychallenged children get access to English education by well-trained and compassionate teachers, and gain the rewarding experience of helping local children who need it. Furthermore, their volunteer experience during our program motivates them to look for volunteering opportunities in their own communities at the end of the program.

Sah Kim Hyesun / Reporter