No. 83 | May 2020
KSIF Newsletter
KSI Center U.S.A (teacher: Esther Kim)
KSI fighting! Let’s beat COVID-19 together!
KSI U.S.A. began offering real-time video lectures on April 1 through the Online King
Sejong Institute. With eight classes, all offline learners have continued studying Korean
online with no interruption of their learning due to COVID-19.
When the KSI had to be closed, there were concerns that learners might lose their
enthusiasm for studying Korean. This concern, however, was unfounded. Existing
students are actively participating in the online classes, and new students have registered
despite the absence of offline classes.
Esther Kim, a teacher who is currently conducting Korean classes online, said, “With
students ‘attending’ classes in a private setting—usually their home—I can sometimes
hear the sounds of someone cooking in the background. Having seen my students
more relaxed in terms of both setting and appearance, I feel that I’ve grown closer to
them.” She noted that online classes are meaningful and even fun in their own way.
When teaching a class on cooking, Kim brought a carrot, knife, and cutting board from
her kitchen to demonstrate for her students the word for “to cut (sseolda).” Being in
her home made it easier to explain this concept, from a teacher’s perspective. For the
students, it was also a good opportunity to bond with one another, as is evident in their
playful comments (“You said your hobby is cooking, but your kitchen looks too clean.
I don’t think you cook very much at all!”).
The learning environment has suddenly transitioned from offline to online due to
COVID-19, but the students of KSI U.S.A. have lost none of their passion to learn Korean.
For one class, during break time, the students of Elementary 1A-2 wrote and held up
the letters for “세종학당 파이팅 (KSI Fighting)” for a photo to commemorate their online
learning experience.
We hope everyone in this photo, and KSI learners all over the world, are soon reunited in
person!
▲ Esther Kim and the learners of Elementary 1A-2 in a group photo holding
up letters that spell out “King Sejong Institute fighting!” in Korean.