Onyangpung Elementary Teacher Park Ji-hyun: "I Hope School Classes Remain Fun Memories"
Teacher Park Ji-hyun of Onyangpunggi Elementary School in Asan, Chungnam, is explaining the class currency activity. / Asan = Photo by Kim Ah-young
At Onyangpunggi Elementary School in Asan, Chungnam, there is a small country called 'Margarita.' In this place, you can buy goods with a virtual currency called 'Bon,' and you also have to pay taxes and fines.
This is the story of Class 1, Grade 5, taught by teacher Park Jihyun.
Meeting Teacher Park on the 14th ahead of the 43rd Teachers' Day, she greeted us with a bright smile. Upon entering the classroom, the 'total tax of 2,536 Bon' caught the eye, something not seen in other classrooms. This is the tax collected over about two months since March this year.
The bulletin board also shows this month's jobs and fines. The 28 students each have their own job in the country of Margarita. There are about ten types of jobs, ranging from a Statistics Office worker who collects newsletters and assignments, a banker who opens accounts and checks salaries and savings, a judge who mediates conflicts, to a police officer who records fines. Depending on their job, students receive a monthly salary of 280 to 370 Bon, with the actual amount paid after deducting 10% tax and insurance from the salary.
Teacher Park, who serves as the president of the country Margarita, holds monthly class meetings to gather students' opinions and readjust jobs and salaries.
The Statistics Office worker, who receives the highest salary, is by far the most popular job. To get the desired job, students must also meet qualification requirements. To become a Statistics Office worker, they need a Level 3 Total Certificate, and to become a judge, they must have a Level 3 or higher Social Certificate.
Teacher Park said, "We give tests and issue certificates at the end of each unit," adding, "We created this system so that students can study independently and qualify themselves to have the jobs they want."
The regularly held permanent store is always sold out because students can buy stationery and snacks with the salary they have saved.
Teacher Park has been running the class currency activity for the second year following last year. He said, "We started the class currency activity while thinking about ways to make students participate more enjoyably in class activities," and added, "Through this activity, students study on their own to obtain certificates and seem to enjoy coming to school, which makes me proud."
The class currency activity not only encourages students' voluntary participation but also helps them find their aptitudes.
Teacher Park said, "Students sometimes think that jobs with high social status are good jobs because of adults' biased views, but through the class currency activity, they experience various jobs and find the aptitudes that suit them," adding, "This class is very helpful in many ways."
While basic class currency activities have been operated last year and this year, in the next country to be created next year, Teacher Park wants to introduce real estate and stock activities. Students will be able to save money to buy desired positions, and they can also invest by predicting changes in Teacher Park's weight. He wants to study more to deliver more jobs and economic concepts to students.
Teacher Park said, "A student who participated in last year's class currency activity left a letter saying, 'I was so happy to work as a teacher in the Tom Yum Goong country' before transferring," adding, "I am proud that school classes remain a fun memory for students, and I recommend this to other teachers as well."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
