Koreans speak well of Catholic High

Korean students at Catholic Central High School in Troy may be half a world away from their families, but a new program has created family bonds for them in the Albany Diocese.

When Catholic High accepted Min Seok and Tae Kwen Kim from Seoul, South Korea, as students for the 2003-'04 school year, officials weren't aware that the brothers' command of English was severely limited.

"I could just say hello and my name to people. I didn't understand what they [said]," recalled Min Seok, who now prefers to be called Chris. He is a junior at CCHS; his brother is in the eighth grade.

New program

Since the boys were living with relatives whose primary language was Korean, Catholic High's dean of students, Fred Talarico, had a hard time explaining the problem to the family. Besides, he said, the school had committed to educating the brothers and felt responsible for fulfilling that commitment.

So CCHS began to look into creating an English as a Second Language (ESL) program. The first teacher they found for the program developed health problems, so Questar III BOCES teacher Peggy Slocum took over the fledgling group.

"We were taking baby steps," Mr. Talarico remarked. "Looking back, I wish I had been able to do more homework before the boys got here, to develop a more balanced plan for what we were going to do."

From scratch

At first, Mrs. Slocum said she "struggled along," using classroom materials she had amassed during her 20 years of teaching ESL (including time in China and Japan) and evaluating the students on her own.

Then she read up on state mandates for such students; by the end of the year, she was able to gauge their reading comprehension through state tests. She also sat in on some of their classes to see what was expected of the students and how well they were doing with classroom participation.

"It wasn't just the language; it was the culture" that the boys had to better understand, Mr. Talarico said. And "they had to have the confidence to respond in class."

Tae Kwen, in particular, struggled in his classes. Chris noted that it's more difficult to speak English than to write it, because he's often unsure whether he's using the wrong words: "I have to think about it. If I write, I can erase it and write again."

More students

Chris and Tae Kwen went home to Korea for the summer, and returned with their cousin, Taerim Kim, who entered seventh grade at CCHS in the fall. In addition, Bo Youn Chung came to the U.S. to start as a freshman.

By now, Catholic High had gotten the hang of running an ESL program, and the two new students were given English proficiency tests before they started school.

"They immersed themselves very quickly" in their new environment, said Mr. Talarico. "They're all doing very well. I have enjoyed watching the progress they've made."

He said that Bo, a shy but smiling teen, admits it's still hard for her to raise her hand and speak out in class. Bo herself told The Evangelist that classes like global history are a lot of work, but she loves math and art.

According to Mr. Talarico, all the Korean students in the ESL program are talented artists. But Chris was quick to note that he has no interest in art as a career. "I want to be a dentist," he stated.

Classroom aids

These days, Mrs. Slocum works a lot on vocabulary with the four students, all of whom carry electronic Korean-English dictionaries. The group uses ESL textbooks that include information on aspects of American culture.

As she spoke to The Evangelist, Mrs. Slocum was helping Bo to paraphrase scenes from "Romeo and Juliet" in her own words for an English class. The teacher is also helping Chris to prepare for the English Regents test he must take this year.

"It's interesting to be in this situation, compared with other jobs I've had, because it's a very small number of students and I have the chance to work with them every day," the teacher said. "Also, I have a strong belief that it's important for people in different parts of the world to realize how we're like each other."

Listening, Chris and Bo nodded in agreement.

Connections

Both Mrs. Slocum and Mr. Talarico said they have bonded with the Korean students.

"They really depend on her for support and encouragement," Mr. Talarico said of the ESL teacher. Mrs. Slocum said she has tried to help the teens "become more integrated into life in America."

Although she may retire at the end of this school year, she added that "when a possibility like this comes up, it's hard to turn it down."

As for himself, Mr. Talarico said, "It's almost like I've been accepted into these families. I'm their contact person for what happens in school."

Impressions

Some things, however, are always better back home. Bo, who lives in Cohoes, told The Evangelist that public transportation is much more accessible in her native Seoul, where the population is around 11 million.

"Studying is better in America. Playing is better in Korea," put in Chris. As snow fell outside the classroom window, he added: "It's colder here."

(CCHS officials said that because the school has an ESL program, it is attracting more Korean students through the Albany Diocese's ministry to Korean Catholics. Call the Korean Catholic Apostolate at 399-2048; call Catholic High at 235-7100.)

(1/27/05)