This post, a translation of the previous post, ‘올해의 계획과 3월 정리‘, is written with the hope of reaching readers from more countries.

The Start of Senior Year and Hectic Days

A little over a month has passed in the final year of high school. Each school year brings its own challenges, but this time is especially chaotic. No matter how well-prepared we are, the beginning of the year is always a whirlwind of planning, adjusting ongoing tasks, and crafting new initiatives. Nevertheless, I am content that March has passed without major incidents.

Today marks the writing of the first post on this site. It is also the day we set the fundamental direction for the site. I spent a busy weekend morning struggling with a Raspberry Pi web server, modifying and fixing it—a task I am admittedly not very good at.

Given that this is the inaugural post, I want to discuss the general thoughts I’ve had while running the grade over the past two years and the structured research activities developed during this time. I will even briefly touch upon university entrance exams and private education. Although this post is not short, I hope you will find it an easy read.

Ongoing Research Project Activities

As this is the final year, we are focusing on summarizing the activities carried out so far. Recalling last year’s moderately successful interdisciplinary research activities, I planned ‘Science with Tech’ for students in the natural sciences and ‘SDGs in School’ for students in the humanities and social sciences. Initially, we collected applications for material costs for these research activities. Perhaps due to their busy senior year schedules, only a few students applied for funding. Thanks to this, the procurement process, which took just over a month last year, was completed within a week this time, including internal approvals and delivery.

Just because things finished quickly does not mean all work is done. Unlike other grades, seniors must complete all activities that can be recorded in their school records during the first semester. Therefore, once the research activities start, other activities must also be managed. This year, I plan to run student-led volunteer projects more robustly, though I’m unsure how well the students will prepare their proposals. Nevertheless, these tasks must begin, along with other activities like reading English literature and interdisciplinary research.

Activities, College Entrance Exam, and Academics

While extracurricular activities are important, years of observing university admissions have shown that the essential element for successful admissions is ultimately the college entrance exam. Unlike internal grades where students compete within the school, in this exam, our students must compete with others from different schools and regions, and the outcomes have often been disappointing. While there are regional characteristics, the inability to achieve high grades in this test is likely also influenced by our instruction. Therefore, we are increasing learning hours through after-school programs, night self-study, and weekend self-study sessions.

Changes Due to COVID-19

The most significant change in our school since COVID-19 is the “extreme” increase in reliance on private education. Even our grade, which has demonstrated obedience and diligence at school, faced severe internal conflicts last year, though it seems the atmosphere is stabilizing a bit now. However, there are still many areas where the past seems better. Ultimately, to improve grades, students must resort to studying textbooks and reference books, solving problems, contemplating, and reducing errors on their own. Seeking out cram schools at this juncture is an attempt to find an easy way out.

Of course, I do not entirely negate the need for private education; there are certainly students who require additional classes. However, receiving private education out of vague anxiety without knowing what they lack or without having tried studying on their own is a clear waste of time and an inefficient action. Some might think that the declining quality of public education necessitates private education, but apart from the capability for personalized lessons, private education has almost no advantages over public education in regional settings, especially now that school activities have become more important in university admissions. The real competition must take place within the school.

Conclusion and Expectations

Looking forward, once this year ends, my tenure as a grade-level teacher will also conclude. While I will remain at the school for about 20 more years, I will not have the opportunity to lead the same age group of students for three consecutive years again. As such, having undertaken this role, I hope that the students who have spent these three years together have slightly broadened their options for their future.

Just as I have done and other adults before me, I hope these students exert their best efforts in their final year of high school to prepare for their future.