In this blog post, I’ve summarized my experiences, focusing on my academic efforts, club activities, and volunteer work during high school, as well as my academic and career plans after college.
Achieving a Perfect Score in Korean History Using Textbooks
I was a student who loved history classes in high school. I enjoyed learning historical facts and hearing new stories, and I found it rewarding to build my knowledge by examining cultural artifacts and historical records. So, I naturally began to dream of becoming a history teacher, and I chose Korean History and World History for my social studies courses. Of the two subjects, the one I invested more time and effort into was Korean History. Compared to World History, Korean History combined the traditional national history and modern and contemporary history sections, resulting in a much larger volume of material.
To memorize enough to solve problems while covering such a vast amount of material, I had to avoid rote memorization. If I simply listed events in chronological order by year and time and memorized them blindly, there was a high probability of getting confused later when solving problems. Therefore, to memorize efficiently, I utilized textbooks organized by grade level. While high school Korean history textbooks are typically published as a single integrated volume, the national history textbooks used in middle school, separately published history textbooks, and self-study guides for Korean history were available as separate publications. I decided to integrate these four textbooks into a single set of notes and consolidate them into one volume.
The process of consolidating them was complex. Since I had to organize all four books, I first outlined the basic framework using the middle school textbook. The middle school textbook has less content than the high school textbook and focuses on key points, making it easier to read. So, I used this as a foundation to complete my notes in chronological order. While the original textbooks organize content by political, social, economic, and cultural sections with consideration for specific years, I wrote everything in chronological order to make memorization easier. Later, I summarized the additional content and detailed facts from the high school textbooks to flesh out the notes. When adding content, I sometimes copied and attached historical documents from the history atlas to make it easier to understand. Finally, while referring to the teacher’s study guide, I wrote down background information not covered in the textbook, completed my own personalized textbook, and achieved a perfect score in Korean history.
Forming a History Club for Study and Commentary Volunteer Work
There were many students at our high school who loved history and wanted to actively engage in historical activities. As I studied Korean history, a sense of historical awareness naturally developed, and I developed a mindset to use the past as a stepping stone to rewrite the history of the present. I gathered friends who shared this mindset and started a history club. Although it was an existing club, its activities had been rather sluggish; however, once we joined, the club began to thrive. We not only focused on the club’s core activity of studying history but also pursued the goal of serving as “citizen diplomats” through volunteer historical tours.
First, to organize a study group for history, we needed a certain number of participants. However, since only about eight of us had gathered, it wasn’t even enough to form two groups. So, we started with promotional activities to recruit more members. On the promotional posters, we wrote, “Anyone who likes people, loves history, and enjoys speaking English.” This phrase captured what our members had in common and also served as the essential qualifications for volunteering as historical guides. Thanks to our recruitment efforts, our membership doubled, allowing us to form four groups.
When organizing the groups, we had each group elect a leader for study sessions and decided on a common textbook for the entire club as well as any additional materials each group wanted. We selected the common textbook through a general meeting, while each group was allowed to decide on additional materials autonomously through their own discussions. In this way, we operated the club not as a structure led by a single president or supervised by a teacher, but as a system where each member could take the initiative in their activities. We did this because our goal was to provide guided tours of cultural heritage sites after completing a certain level of history study, and because during volunteer work, members needed to act individually with a sense of responsibility rather than moving as a group.
Our club’s operational structure proved to be quite efficient. As intended, new members adapted quickly and showed enthusiasm for studying history, and since we conducted presentations in small groups, everyone prepared their assigned sections thoroughly without fail. Since the members were generally capable of speaking English, they faced no major difficulties during activities involving English presentations. While conducting these presentation sessions, we simultaneously began preparing the materials and tools needed for our volunteer work. Since this was a speaking volunteer program for foreigners, we needed tools to supplement our explanations. So, we prepared flashcards with the English spellings of each cultural heritage site or artifact, as well as portraits of historical figures and family trees of dynasties to aid in our explanations. Each group member created these supplementary materials independently using signs, designing them for ease of explanation and carrying them personally. By reorganizing the club and planning new activities in this way, I was also able to learn about efficient ways to manage an organization.
Volunteering as a historical guide at cultural heritage sites in Seoul
After a long period of preparation, we finally began our volunteer work as historical guides. Since we were working with foreigners with whom communication was difficult, we needed to study even more. In addition to studying historical content, we prepared in advance by practicing conversation techniques. We spent time in small groups checking each other’s eye contact, conversational etiquette, speaking techniques, and tone of voice. Just before heading out for the volunteer activity, we paired up for a rehearsal and prepared by filling in any gaps we found.
The historical commentary volunteer work was conducted at various cultural heritage sites in Seoul with the support of a youth organization. Since there were also members from other schools’ history clubs besides ours, it became an opportunity for new encounters and experiences. After greeting the new friends we met through the youth organization, we divided into groups based on our assigned locations and began our volunteer work. The main sites where we worked included Gyeongbokgung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, Seodaemun Prison, and the War Memorial of Korea. Although I’m very interested in history and often visit these places, I felt quite nervous when I actually had to explain things to unfamiliar foreign visitors.
But the important thing was that I wasn’t alone. Since my friends and colleagues, whom I’d always studied with, were nearby, we could work together to solve any problems that arose during the guided tours. For example, while explaining, there were times when I couldn’t think of the right English word to use. In those cases, I’d try my best on my own, and if I struggled, a nearby volunteer would come over to help by adding to my explanation. Sometimes, visitors would ask for detailed explanations of terms unfamiliar to them, such as jangdok (traditional earthenware jars), gudeuljang (underfloor heating), eaves, or hanok (traditional Korean houses). To explain these, I would refer to the supplementary guidebook I always carried with me during my volunteer shifts, or borrow a friend’s phone to look up information and continue the explanation. Working together like this not only fostered a sense of camaraderie but also made the volunteer work deeply rewarding.
The Dream of Becoming a Global History Teacher Who Values Storytelling
Because I enjoyed explaining and teaching historical facts and content to others, I naturally began to dream of becoming a history teacher. Among the various methodologies of history education, I believe the teaching technique known as “storytelling” is the most effective. When learners hear and absorb new material, simply presenting dry facts does not lead to effective memorization. However, when engaging, lively explanations are accompanied by interesting stories, even complex content can be easily remembered and understood. Therefore, I aspire to become a history teacher who emphasizes storytelling in the future.
To achieve this, I plan to first enroll in the Department of History Education at Gyeongsang National University, where I will pursue deeper studies in history and pedagogy as a student in the College of Education.
During my college years, I want to focus above all on my studies. I believe that teachers must possess extensive knowledge to adopt effective teaching methods and convey content to students. Therefore, I aim to become a teacher who is well-rounded, even if it is just to make my classes more engaging. When studying, rather than reading introductory history textbooks and major-specific books on my own, I will join study groups with several classmates to pool our strengths. Through these study groups, I hope to engage in more rigorous study not only through presentations but also through discussion-based classes.
Additionally, before I enter my senior year and begin preparing for the teacher certification exam, I plan to study English intensively. During high school, I studied English conversation diligently and volunteered as a history guide for foreign visitors. Through this volunteer work, I overcame my fear of approaching foreigners and gained confidence in speaking English. In college, I intend to study more specialized English conversation skills so that I can participate in history forums and serve as a student docent. Furthermore, once I become a history teacher, I aspire to be a competent educator capable of explaining historical facts to students in English. I believe that in our globalized future, students will need the ability to explain our history in English.
