In this blog post, I will outline my preparation process for becoming a general social studies teacher and my future career plans, based on my learning experiences and club activities during high school.
Academic Experience
I nurtured my dream of becoming a social studies teacher while studying general social studies in high school. In particular, it was my general social studies teacher who made me realize the appeal of the teaching profession. Because my teacher had memorized all the content and theories from the general social studies textbook, I respected them deeply as they seemed to know so much from a student’s perspective. Furthermore, going beyond simply possessing knowledge, they loved discussing various current affairs based on a profound interest in society. Watching my teacher, I resolved to become a teacher equipped with both knowledge and a strong sense of conviction.
When I looked into the path to becoming a social studies teacher, I found that a Department of General Social Studies Education was offered at the College of Education. In that department, students studied all social studies subjects—such as social culture, economics, and law and politics—along with curriculum education. So, I set a clear goal for my college entrance exams to enroll in the Department of General Social Studies Education and devised a concrete plan to achieve that goal. My plan was to first select Social Culture and Law and Politics as elective subjects, as they had lower competition and offered the potential for high grades, while for Economics, I would learn through regular classes and begin using educational broadcasts starting in my second year. Thus, I decided to complete the entire curriculum for all three subjects by the end of my second year and focus solely on studying for the CSAT starting in my third year.
Once I had covered the material through self-study, my preparation for school exams was largely complete. Since the school exams included about two questions at the CSAT level, I decided to tackle those through my college entrance exam preparation. By getting ahead in the curriculum and starting my college entrance exam preparation early, I was able to earn a grade 1 in all my social studies subjects. Of course, my mock exam scores weren’t high during my second year because I was focused on keeping up with the curriculum, but I didn’t get anxious about it. Starting in my senior year, I focused intensively on analyzing past CSAT questions and collecting and understanding advanced study materials. As a result, my mock exam scores improved significantly.
Extracurricular Activities
Since I enjoyed social studies subjects, I joined the Current Affairs Research Club, which utilized topics from those subjects. The Current Affairs Research Club involved reading books related to current topics, exchanging opinions and engaging in discussions, or writing essays based on those discussions. I aimed to make the most of my club activities to gain as much as possible. In fact, since many CSAT questions are based on current affairs, and essay preparation is essential for college admissions, the Current Affairs Research Club was helpful in many ways.
Since the club dealt with current affairs, the content was sometimes difficult to understand or keep up with. Therefore, club activities were planned differently for each grade level, taking students’ proficiency into account. First, during my freshman year, we engaged in in-depth textbook study of social studies subjects, building on the foundations laid in the general social studies curriculum. The main activities involved examining and discussing current affairs related to the basic concepts learned in subjects like Social Culture, Economics, and Law and Politics. For example, in the Social Culture course, we engaged in activities that reflected on and critiqued the culture of fast food, as exemplified by McDonald’s. During this activity, I discussed with my friends the phenomenon of cultural lag—the difficulty of adapting to a society that changes too rapidly. Personally, while I criticized the superficial nature of human relationships and the lack of professionalism in career attitudes, I also came to believe that we should seek ways to utilize these trends positively.
As we explored discussion topics related to the Social Studies and Culture course, I naturally began studying economics as well. The pursuit of efficiency is an indispensable topic in South Korean society, and economics focuses heavily on this concept. Therefore, during club activities, we discussed corporate production activities and consumer choices, and we even tackled essay questions on perfect competition and monopoly markets.
In addition, under the theme of “The Two Faces of Globalization,” we debated trade monopolies by major powers and the potential for fair trade. Personally, I have a strong interest in fair trade and, as a consumer who actively purchases fair-trade products, this served as an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of consumption that contributes to society and the global community.
When addressing topics in the field of law, I first considered commonly discussed issues such as euthanasia, abortion, and child custody laws. Since I had previously only vaguely considered whether I was for or against these issues, I examined the specific grounds on which arguments were based. I was particularly in favor of euthanasia, believing that the right to be free from suffering caused by illness—reflecting the wishes of the individual and their family—should be prioritized. However, during discussions with friends, I found myself grappling with new perspectives. The opposing side cited cases where doctors or nurses who performed euthanasia suffered from guilt over having caused a patient’s death. As we debated using such evidence, my previously held views began to shift.
Consideration and Cooperation
Activities in the Current Affairs Research Club played such a significant role that they accounted for more than half of my high school life. In my first year, while studying and debating topics related to social studies, I also learned new ways of thinking. As I developed an interest in current affairs, my school grades actually improved, and my motivation to study was reignited. Then, in my second year, we began engaging in full-fledged book discussions, and by collaborating with my club members, I built a foundation for essay writing. Through these book discussions, I was exposed to bestsellers that addressed current issues, and the topics we debated were synthesized into essays that incorporated my own arguments and supporting evidence.
The book we used most frequently in the club was Go Jong-seok’s *Stealing the Code*. This book contained about 40 topics, such as “The Future of Socialism,” and we studied 10 of them each session, engaging in a question-and-answer session with one another. When asking questions, we would select a topic from the ten we had agreed upon and ask each other about parts we wanted to discuss or didn’t fully understand. The discussion proceeded with the person being asked to answer the questioner in their own words based on their understanding. In this way, we engaged in free-flowing discussions based on our own thoughts, the results of our research, and what we had studied.
Since club meetings typically lasted about three hours, we would study *Stealing Code* for one hour and read a different book the next hour. For the other books, we would print out that day’s assigned section and read it immediately. The books we primarily selected and read were famous titles such as Alvin Toffler’s *The Future of Youth* and Jacques Attali’s *The Wave of the Future*. These books were chosen not only because their authors were renowned, but also because their content was significant enough to be designated as required reading. Therefore, as we read these books, we conducted critical analyses of the topics, and then developed our thoughts further through discussions following the analysis. Through this learning experience, I was able to see how other students thought about issues such as race, journalism, and the economy, which served as an opportunity to clarify my own thoughts.
Plans After College
Since my first year of high school, I have dreamed of becoming a social studies teacher who teaches general social studies. Therefore, I studied the general social studies curriculum taught in my first year with great enthusiasm, and I built upon this foundation to participate in the Current Affairs Research Club. In particular, what I learned in the Current Affairs Research Club was of great help to me as I prepared for the entrance exams for the Department of General Social Studies Education. This is because I was able to study the entire process—from basic terminology and knowledge related to current affairs to reading discussions and content analysis, which are crucial for essay writing.
Therefore, I intend to apply the methods I learned in the Current Affairs Research Club directly to grow into a teacher who develops students’ capabilities in the classroom. When teaching general social studies, I will strive above all not to become a teacher who merely conducts one-sided lessons and imposes knowledge.
I believe that if one becomes too fixated on textbook progress and lesson content, a stifling learning environment is created where students feel constrained. However, I was fortunate enough to experience many high-quality classes that were the opposite of this. It was beneficial to be exposed to various current affairs materials even during regular classes, fostering an atmosphere where we could reflect on social issues and exchange opinions with classmates. Therefore, as a teacher, I plan to develop my own teaching methods that foster critical and logical thinking based on social issues.
My specific goal is to become a “great teacher” with my own unique teaching style. My career plan is simple, but I believe it addresses a crucial and necessary aspect of education in South Korea. In fact, although I spent many years studying as a student in the educational system, there weren’t many classes that truly helped me or left me satisfied. However, I grew up in a learning environment where it was considered unreasonable for students to evaluate their teachers’ lessons or express dissatisfaction. Of course, there were also teachers who broke through that atmosphere, maximized their capabilities, and delivered lessons that truly benefited their students. Therefore, following the example of those teachers, I will become an educator capable of delivering well-structured lessons in front of my students.
