A Rewarding Spring Break

Over spring break I had the privilege to travel to Korea and volunteer teach North Korean defectors. This experience was so powerful because it was life changing to witness students who so deeply want to learn in a free land. These students have overcome countless hardships and oppression to escape North Korea in search for a better life in South Korea where they can now pursue knowledge. Their stories are totally heart-wrenching and moving. For example, one of my students escaped from North Korea into China, where he lived in constant fear of being sent back to North Korea where he would surely be put into a work camp or worse. He was finally able to escape china with the help of a missionary, and had to walk and bus all the way to Thailand, where there was a South Korean embassy that enabled him to defect into South Korea. This particular student is sixteen years old. He is so grateful to be in South Korea because he is free to learn and follow his dreams. This is just one of the many powerful stories I learned while volunteering.

What is so inspirational about these students is these students’ love for life an their deep appreciation for learning. This really reaffirmed that my career choice as a teacher will be the most rewarding career imaginable. These students have a deep respect for teachers and realize how precious they are because they were withheld from them for many years in North Korea. Realizing the profound impact I had upon these students by teaching them English for the week was so incredibly rewarding and powerful.

This experience has inspired me to commit myself to a lifetime of volunteering with refugee students around the world. I plan to teach in many different countries throughout my career, and I will seek out and teach refugees along the way. I want to help these students who have come so far to realize their dreams and live the lives they envision and deserve.

When I was a student, I took my teachers for granted because they were a consistent part of my everyday life. These students have offered a refreshing new perspective and have reminded me that having a teacher is a gift and it should be deeply valued and treasured. As I pursue careers in international schools, I want to share with my students stories of refugees like my North Korean students, to help them see what a gift being able to learn freely is, and to remember to never take their opportunities for granted. In this way, my students that I taught this spring break and more like them will become powerful teachers. I hope to share their message with my other students to change lives as much as these amazing North Koreans have changed mine.