In this blog post, I will share my academic experiences, school activities, volunteer work, collaborative projects, and career preparation during my time in high school.

Academic Experiences and Reflections

When I entered high school, the subject that took up the most class time was Korean language. Since I had enjoyed reading books and sharing my thoughts on them in middle school, I initially participated in high school Korean classes with enthusiasm. However, I soon noticed that the teaching style had changed significantly. While middle school classes focused on performance-based assessments and activities centered on personal reflections, high school classes primarily involved dissecting literary works and memorizing plotlines and character relationships.
My teacher told us that to prepare for the college entrance exam, we needed to analyze literary works, and if we found them difficult to understand, we should memorize the plot and character relationships. In poetry class, we frequently took pop quizzes after memorizing the poet’s life story and the meanings of poetic terms exactly as prescribed. I felt that this approach actually diminished my interest in literature, so I wrote a letter to my teacher to share my thoughts. I expressed my desire for more creative teaching methods and opportunities to appreciate a single work in various ways.
After reading my letter, my teacher suggested I try writing essays or essays for academic purposes. She advised that while regular classes needed to focus on reading comprehension due to college entrance exam preparation, it would be beneficial to practice creative expression separately. From then on, I frequently participated in school writing contests and continued my Korean studies by creating and completing my own writing assignments. I was able to improve my writing by receiving feedback from my teacher.
Finding topics, outlining, and freely expressing my thoughts and experiences through writing greatly helped improve not only my creativity but also my expressive and logical skills. Once I had written something down, I could understand it much more easily even when it appeared on a test, and my problem-solving speed increased. Although I couldn’t always study the way I wanted in regular classes, this experience led me to decide that if I become a teacher in the future, I want to teach literature classes that include plenty of expressive activities.

Major School Activities and Reflections

I have always been somewhat shy, so giving presentations in class was difficult for me. Even though I wanted to raise my hand and share my opinions, I often hesitated due to anxiety. To overcome this personality flaw, I decided to build my confidence through after-school activities.
As a result, I joined the “Flower Arranging Club.” I enjoyed looking at and caring for flowers, and the activity of creating creative works using materials in a peaceful atmosphere suited my interests well. As I began to feel a sense of satisfaction from the activity, I volunteered to be the class representative, and in that role, I took on the responsibility of promoting the after-school class to each homeroom.
For the promotion, I chose to write honestly about my personal experiences and the positive changes I had seen rather than using flowery phrases. For example, I posted phrases like “Mental stability through flower arranging,” “Your mind becomes calm, making it easier to concentrate on your studies,” and “Try giving your parents a piece you made yourself” on the bulletin board. My friends saw my promotional materials, showed interest, and asked me about the after-school program.
As the number of applicants gradually increased, the flower arranging class became the most active after-school program. However, I was disappointed that almost all the participants were girls, so I thought of strategies to attract male students to address the gender imbalance. When I displayed well-made pieces in the classroom, more students naturally became interested, and I added the phrase “Make flowers as a gift for your girlfriend. She’ll be happier than anyone else” to the promotional materials to pique the curiosity of male students.
As a result, about ten male students expressed interest in joining, and our class grew to a large group of 40 students, becoming a famous after-school activity within the school. As class president, I led the creative activities and successfully promoted the club. Through this experience, I realized that the greatest reward comes from recommending something I love and have benefited from to others, and seeing them happy as a result.

Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections

Since our school houses both a high school and an elementary school, we had opportunities to interact with the attached kindergarten. During special events like Children’s Day, high school student volunteers would participate to assist with kindergarten experience programs, and our flower arranging club was assigned to run a hands-on booth at one such event.
On the day of the event, several booths were set up on the large playground, and we arranged chairs and tables at the flower arranging station so that the children could participate one-on-one. I was in charge of one table, where I welcomed the children by providing materials and explaining how to make the arrangements. We prepared small flower pots and styrofoam so the children could easily follow along, and we told them they could take their finished pieces home.
At first, the children were just sticking the flowers in haphazardly, but after hearing the instructions, I felt both touched and proud watching them try their best to make something pretty. While working as an event assistant all day, my fellow club members and I took turns running the event, looking out for each other to ensure we didn’t get too tired. When we ran short on materials or chairs, we helped each other out by borrowing from the origami and balloon art stations.
After the event concluded successfully, the teachers from the attached kindergarten expressed their gratitude and asked us to help again next time. Through this experience, I learned firsthand just how important consideration and cooperation are in running an actual event, and how even small acts of help and sharing can bring great joy to others.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans

Through volunteering in the flower arrangement class, where I met and taught kindergarten children directly, I became certain of my dream to major in early childhood education and become a teacher. Beyond mere interest, the sense of fulfillment I felt from interacting with the children guided my career decision.
My preparations to date can be summarized into three main areas. First, through writing activities, I developed my expressive and logical skills, cultivating the ability to explain concepts to children in a way that is both easy to understand and fun. Second, as the class president of the flower arranging club, I gained experience in promotion and organizational management, thereby improving my leadership and communication skills. Third, through volunteering at a kindergarten, I gained practical experience and a firm conviction in education by interacting with children at their level and guiding their activities.
Based on these experiences, I aspire to become a teacher who actively incorporates expressive activities into education and designs lessons that spark the interest of each individual student. Just as my small efforts in high school led to my career path, I will continue to prepare for my future studies and activities with the same dedication.