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November 8, 2024 聽|聽By Catherine Darling Fitzpatrick (SF16)

Eunbee Yu鈥檚 (A18) educational experience in South Korea and abroad was as varied as it was unconventional. It began with home-schooling through fourth grade, followed by a stint at an English-speaking private missionary school before pivoting back to private instruction in middle school. By ninth grade, Yu and her parents were ready for something different, so when Soopna鈥攁 small alternative K-12 school in Seoul鈥攐pened, Yu became one of its very first students. She loved its innovative approach to education so much that after college graduation, she returned to Soopna as a teacher. This time around, she had something new to teach them: the St. John鈥檚-style seminar.聽

Yu initially chose to attend St. John鈥檚 for college because she was drawn to its focus on classical literature and discussion-based learning. Studying abroad in the U.S. also held appeal for her. But despite years of English training, the transition wasn鈥檛 easy. 鈥淭here was this shell-shock on the faces of all the international students during the first week,鈥� she recalls of her early time at St. John鈥檚. 鈥淎t first, you have to choose between talking and listening.鈥� Mathematics鈥攁 universal language鈥� provided some comfort, offering a structured approach that helped her prepare for class presentations.

Yu gradually found her footing thanks to a supportive campus community. 鈥淎 lot of learning at St. John鈥檚 happens outside the classroom,鈥� she says. 鈥淪tudents would gather after seminars to share notes and keep the discussions going. This wasn鈥檛 something I鈥檇 seen before, and it made all the difference.鈥� Yu managed to balance her academic and social life by catching up on reading in the library before heading to a party, only to return home and read some more. 鈥淪ometimes, the party actually helped with the reading because everyone was talking about the same books,鈥� she says.

By the time Yu graduated from St. John鈥檚, she had spent three years in Annapolis, and one year 鈥攈er junior year鈥攊n Santa Fe. Yu鈥檚 connection to the classics deepened during this time, with Plato鈥檚 Republic becoming a particularly influential text for her. The philosophical dialogue 鈥渃hanged how I see society and the way it runs,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t made me question the fundamentals behind our social mechanisms鈥攚hat myths and stories underpin these systems? Is there an alternative story we could embrace to change the way things are?鈥�

For Yu鈥檚 senior essay, she opted to explore fictional and satirical critiques of societal norms by focusing on Jonathan Swift鈥檚 Gulliver鈥檚 Travels. In the book鈥檚 final part, Gulliver鈥檚 time among the fictional Houyhnhnm horse-people profoundly alters his view of human society; Yu was interested in the ways Gulliver鈥檚 experiences as a social outsider informs said outlook.

Books like these at St. John鈥檚 taught Yu the importance of creating an 鈥渁lternative story鈥� to galvanize a population and inspire lasting political change, which she today applies to her career working with youth. 鈥淭he current narrative for many South Korean students and their parents is 鈥榠f you don鈥檛 compete, you are a failure,鈥欌�� she says. South Korea鈥檚 education system is notoriously rigorous, with private extracurricular tutoring almost a given. 鈥淲hen I was young, after school didn鈥檛 mean the end of learning,鈥� Yu says. 鈥淭here was always another lesson鈥攎ath, swimming, piano, English. Now, kids even go to coding lessons after school.鈥�

Educational institutions like Soopna provide a respite by offering a far different experience than the ones at most South Korean schools. For one, the school readily adopted the St. John鈥檚 Great Books program into a seminar-style class for more mature students at Soopna when Yu returned as a teacher. And with its small size, Soopna鈥攚hich, in 2021, had just 80 students鈥攇roups its pupils by skill level rather than age, allowing for smaller classes and a personalized learning experience. This provides an environment where 鈥渟tudents can really engage with what they鈥檙e learning鈥攖hey鈥檙e not just memorizing facts,鈥� Yu explains.

Yu left Soopna in 2024 and today works with the YWCA鈥攁 career shift that she hopes will allow her to continue combatting the pervasive notion that rivalry among youth in South Korea is the sole path to success. 鈥淭he competitiveness starts in school, continues into college, and then keeps right on going in the workplace. It never ends,鈥� she says.

She is far from alone in feeling this way: Interest in independent schools like Soopna is growing in South Korea, although they currently receive minimal government support, plus their graduates must undergo additional standardized testing before attending a Korean university. Despite these hurdles, Yu believes these schools offer a crucial alternative for students seeking a different style of learning鈥攊ncluding, thanks to her, long discussions about great books.