Sterling College

Sterling College students spend Interterm 2005 immersed in South Korean culture

Six Sterling College students and two SC employees spent the month of January immersed in South Korean culture while participating in Sterling’s “Share Your World” Interterm travel opportunity. As part of the “Share Your World” trip, Sterling students taught English as a Second Language (ESL) with Sooyoungro Presbyterian Church’s English Outreach ministry. The church is located in Pusan, South Korea.

“We were able to partner with the church in their outreach to the community by teaching English with Antioch International Ministry (AIM), the English-outreach ministry of the church,” said SC junior Katie Conklin from Johnstown, Colorado.

“As part of the English classes, we were able to teach the kids who attended praise and worship songs during our singing time each morning and share the gospel with them through Bible stories in class. Some of the students were Christians already, but for those who weren’t, it gave them and their family exposure to the church, and it was an opportunity for us to plant seeds of Christ in their lives.”

Prior to the trip, Sterling participants met once a week to prepare to teach ESL and to learn about the Korean culture. However, none could fully prepare for what teaching to non-native speakers would entail.

“It (teaching English) was challenging because we had to adjust to our students not understanding us,” said Conklin. “It was also challenging because we had to learn to slow down in our pronunciation, and we had to change the way we talked since a lot of English is slang and our diction is not typically clear.

“At the same time, it was a really fun and good experience. One of the most rewarding things was to see how happy the younger kids were when they knew how to say something and they were told ‘good job’ for their efforts.”

English classes for all levels were available; those who attended ranged in age from first-grade to adult.

The Sterling teachers lived with host families from the church, giving them opportunity to fully experience everyday life in Korea. Popular Pusan sights were also visited by the Sterling group.

Other students participating in the trip include sophomore James Chavez, Wichita; senior Jon Federwisch, Corona, Calif.; junior Megan Lewis, St. John; senior John Moore, San Jose, Calif.; and sophomore Ben Piper, Loveland, Colo. The trip was led by SC faculty member Robert Bradley. Sterling's Director of Marketing Communications Melanie Lightner also participated in the trip.

The 2005 trip marks the eleventh trip that Sterling College students have made to teach English in Pusan, South Korea, since the inception of the trips in 1996.

Interterm, a three-week concentration on one course, lends itself to courses different in format than those offered during the regular semester and makes it possible for off-campus educational opportunities.