Ten students and two teachers are visiting from Seoul High School in South Korea this week. The students from Whitman’s sister school are staying with host families, shadowing students and exploring D.C. before they return to South Korea Feb. 3.
SHS, an all-boys school, has been sending students to Bethesda since a local alum of the school approached Goodwin six years ago.
“[The alum] researched schools in this area to see what was most similar academically to Seoul High School and landed on Whitman,” said special education teacher Laurie Safran, who helped organize the exchange. “Dr. Goodwin is always encouraging this kind of endeavor, so he let us do it.”
Safran and English teacher Corie Stewart organized this year’s trip and have both planned it in previous years. They also take a group of Whitman students to Seoul each June.
Safran said she enjoys meeting new people through the exchange program each year.
“It’s never the same students from Korea because they invite a certain grade level of their students to participate,” she said. “The teachers have never been the same, either. One thing that’s different this year is that the level of understanding of English by the Korean students is higher, which makes it easier all around.”
SHS student Seung Ho Jang lived in Bethesda and attended Pyle Middle School for two years before returning to Korea two years ago. When he found out Whitman and SHS were sister schools, he was eager to apply for a spot in the selective program.
“Forty-three students applied for this program,” Jang said. “We had to interview with teachers, and then they saw our grades and asked other teachers about our behavior. They picked 10 to come here.”
Junior Leslie Smith, who is hosting Jang, said her mom initially found out about the trip and encouraged her to sign up to host. She has never hosted an exchange student before.
“I thought it would be interesting because I didn’t know anything about Korea, so it seemed fun,” Smith said.
The Korean students have participated in multiple activities with their host families, including a welcome dinner hosted by the SHS Alumni Association. They have also visited Washington landmarks and gone to Montgomery Mall, in addition to shadowing their hosts in school Jan. 30.
Jang said he also enjoyed visiting D.C. landmarks, which Americans may not appreciate enough.
“We went to the White House, and it was great,” he said. “[But] I heard not many Americans are visiting the White House.”
Smith said she has learned a lot about Korea while sharing American culture with Jang, including attending a family birthday party.
“I’ve learned about their language, a bit about their school system and what it’s like there,” she said. “Their culture and daily life are pretty different, but there are some similarities, too.”
Jang said he has noticed several differences between American and Korean culture during the exchange.
“Manners are different here,” he said. “In houses in Korea, we don’t wear shoes inside. And all the meals [are different]. For breakfast, we eat a little more than here — we eat like lunch but at breakfast. We actually use our public subway and public bus more. I think here, most people just use their cars.”
The trip is a valuable cultural exchange and a great learning experience for hosts and visitors, Safran said.
“I love to travel, and I also believe in doing sister-school partnerships and introducing students to students from around the world,” Safran said. “I’m just a big believer in letting kids experience other things besides just their academics and their usual school days.”
