Korea’s Miracle OK Language School answers foreign workers’ prayers

Positive attitudes by teacher and students help bolster the learning experience at Miracle School

By Habib Toumi

Pocheon City, South Korea: In small groups of six and eight, the students sat avidly around a white table, taking in every word uttered by their teacher while pointing to white board filled with numbers and letters.

The lesson on the proper use of Korean numbers was part of a curriculum to teach the language to foreign workers seeking to acquire the skills to overcome communication barriers and avail of a better chance in the Republic of Korea.

Lesson in progress under the watchful eyes of visiting teachers (Miracle School)

The tailored courses have generated excitement among several foreign communities and the students sitting in the classrooms seemed particularly enthusiastic about the lesson and they did not attempt to mask or reduce their eagerness.

After all, one of their prayers was being answered thanks to school commitment to eliminate a major obstacle to a better integration within the culture and living and working environments of their hoist country.

Cheerful tribute to the school (Miracle OK School)

Since its inception, iracle OK Language School in Pocheon City has been enrolling students keen on learning the Korean language, their main ticket to a more secure job, a stable life and a better assimilation in the society.

The students’ enthusiasm was matched by the passion of their teachers to ensure the foreign students deserved a chance to move forward in a society that valued education and cherished learning.

As I looked through the door glass window at one of the classes, I was glad to see that there was not the traditional U-shape seating and that the students were facing one another while the teacher moved across the room.

A teacher later said that at the heart of the school vision lies a deep commitment to offering tailored language classes that adapt to the needs of the students and to the preferences of their careers.

Miracle OK School welcomes visit by journalists

The committed teachers, all young and impeccably dressed, were a strong reminder of the traditional Korean seonbi, the scholars who were well learned and possessed good character.

The curriculum has been tailored to meet the needs and fulfill the requirements of workers coming from Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Cambodia, the Philippines and others, she added.

The flags of their countries were painted on the white wall to help boost their morale and to display the school’s mission of fostering diversity while teaching the local language.

More than 300 students have benefitted from the school since it was launched as a proactive step towards assisting the foreign workers achieve occupational and social security and serving the community.

Kuban Andymen (Kyrgyzstan) listens as student, teacher provide insights on the school vision

Donna, a Filipina, was studiously working on her assignment, oblivious to what was happening around her. Her focus was interrupted only when she wanted to consult with her friend and fellow citizen Irish.

The two were determined to succeed in acquiring the language aptitudes needed to thrive in a challenging work milieu and a demanding social environment.

“I truly enjoy what I am doing because there is a strong of purpose for everyone, the students, the staff, the school and the community,” said Donna, diffusing confidence and determination.

Students listen attentively as the teacher explains the lesson

She added that the school was an opportunity for the committed workers to boost their linguistic capabilities and their communication aptitudes.

Wearing the football national team red jersey of his home country Kyrgyzstan, Marcel said that his main aim was to ensure a more rewarding and fulfilling life in the future for himself and his family.

He was one of several workers from different countries dispatched by their employers to learn Korean and ease their integration.

He has been working in a wallpaper factory in Pochang, near the capital Seoul, for more than five years and he is looking forward to many more years in Korea with his family once he gets the visa to bring them over.

The various Miracle schools and the nations of their students

The school is one of three learning facilities in Pocheon city in Gyung-gi province, where workers can enroll, often at times that are convenient to them.

Around 150 charitable individuals from across have been offering support to the three schools and the teachers have joined in the selfless efforts by volunteering to teach, Oh Taeseok, General Manager of Miracle Operation Korean Language School, said.

The launch and subsequent growth of the schools were possible thanks to the local journalists who first reported about them and to the charitable souls in various communities that seized the occasion to extend benevolent assistance, he added.

Under the school policy, illegal immigrants are not accepted and only workers with a legal status and a valid work visa for six months could be enrolled. The list also includes international students and those wishing to learn Korean. Korean language class levels include introduction, beginner, intermediate and advanced.

A semester lasts 10 weeks with class hours varying between 60 and 90 minutes.

The curriculum includes social integration programs and career preparation, Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) preparation, Korean conversation, reading forum, study guidance for children and youth and intercultural exchange.

In a country where the success of industrialization and democratization in just 60 years, far faster than Western countries, was largely due to education, the success and impact of the Miracle School on the lives of a large number of people, is a heartwarming source of inspiration for many across the world.