Culture is influenced by so many things such as race, and religion. For me, the majority of my influence came from my Korean parents, and church. My parents are conservative, and that really rubbed off on me. They also taught me to appreciate what I have and to be smart about how I spend my money. They are a big influence in my life to where I am today. Church was an influence too. I had an awful experience in church. I didn’t like the people there. I just felt so out of place. Maybe that was just because I was from a different part of NJ that did not have that many Koreans, but I just never connected with them. Looking back, it is ironic that now, my life is surrounded by Korean people.
Just as one’s culture is formed from influences; it is easy to have one particular view on other issues. This is one thing I’ve noticed about churched people for example they are quick to judge others. In Korean culture, you want to show off your wealth. There is not much humility. So growing up, brand names were all the rage. Sony, BMW, Lexus were some of the few that were only acceptable when I was young. When I look back now, it seems rather stupid.
When I was young, I moved around the tri-state area a lot. It never really gave me a chance to ever settle into a place or school. I never made close friends because I felt that I would not be able to keep them. It might explain why I can be a loner and be totally fine with it.
High school was all about running. It was just my joy. I ran cross-country and did hurdles all year round. I just loved to run. While I was running lots of miles, I would come home to make instant ramen almost every day. Perhaps all that MSG I consumed preserved my youthful appearance, as people continue to mistake me for an 18 year old. It is definitely not the meal of champions, but with both parents working full time, it’s all I knew how to make. Boil water and cook for 3 minutes. When it came around time to decide about college and what I wanted to do, I debated between teaching and becoming an engineer. I chose to become an engineer. My parents strongly encouraged me that it would be a good fit for me.
College was a rude awakening. High school did not warn me about how hard it was going to become an engineer and it took a while to get back on my feet. I don’t regret the decision, because I was able to learn how to deal with challenges and overcome hurdles. It also kept me grounded too. While I was studying, my friends were going out and having fun meeting people. I knew I couldn’t do that if I wanted to achieve my goal to graduate as an engineer. I was so determined to finish with that degree, as I saw some of my classmates not survive. College was also the time where my parents and I slowly became more of equals rather than parents and son. They treated me more as an equal and included me in on family decisions and spoke to me for advice rather than giving it to me. I felt that this was a huge milestone. In Korean culture, it is common for parents to continue to treat their children as little children or baby them.
After I graduated, I had a tough time finding a job. I became a contractor and worked for Unilever for 3 years doing bench work to packaging engineering. During that time, I got to experience the work force, but was never satisfied. I wasn’t happy with what I was doing, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I couldn’t imagine the rest of my life stuck behind a computer in a cubicle. I thought about many different professions such as physical therapy and physician assistant. To me it made sense, because I enjoyed helping others and I was good at biology. However, the schools did not agree with me.
I went into teaching. Maybe it was from the tutoring I did for kids, or maybe it was from watching kids during day care on Sundays for my church. I just wanted to do what I wanted to do. Perhaps it was just a second chance to do something I wanted to do all along. It was my choice to go be a teacher. I didn’t ask my parents what they thought. I just applied. It just happened to apply to Montclair St. and was accepted. It’s a pretty big moment to me as I’m on my way towards starting my next career.
I find joy in different things from when I was younger. One of them is photography. It provides me peace when I get to photograph memories and capture the moment. I don’t need anyone nor have any responsibilities attached to it. It is my personal pacifier. My other joy is in kids. I love kids. Perhaps it helps me feel young, but I enjoy being around them and watching them learn new things and grow up.
Culture has a big impact on how I will teach. Even if I tried to hide my culture, it would inevitably come out. My upbringing made me work hard to get good grades, even if I wasn’t very good at it, I learned to keep fighting and claw your way through. I think it’s good to have that kind of mentality to students. This type of mentality will help keep me in perspective when students struggle. I’ve been there and I understand that certain things come easier to some than others and hopefully I can convey that to my students, so they know that I am there for them. As everyone’s culture is different, mine will be different from other teachers and students. It is a good opportunity for student and teacher to learn to appreciate and respect each other’s cultures. It is a good life lesson for all that will certainly be challenged in the future.
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