McEikaiwa: 'about as nutritious as a bag of salty fries'

[Taro Toporific]

McEnglish for the massesThe Japan Times, Feb 24
American sociologist George Ritzer coined the term McDonaldization... If the eminent professor could see the state of English-language schools in Japan today he'd surely smile smugly and say, "I told you so.". ...
... Lessons have morphed into sleek, bite-sized delivery systems staffed by teachers who are being transformed into the pedagogic equivalent of burger flippers. Not surprisingly, the teachers are heading for the door in droves.
"The largest eikaiwa school has a staff turnover of 70 percent a year"....

[Caustic Saint]

"The largest eikaiwa school has a staff turnover of 70 percent a year"....

Maybe they're all heading to Korea. The President says, "Let's all English!"

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200402/kt2004022317271710230.htm
President Roh Moo-hyun said on Monday the government will promote the official use of English by officials to put the country in a better position to take advantage of opportunities offered by rapid globalization.

Roh rejected the claim that the official use of English will undermine the national identity, saying, "This is not a reason for not using English." The head of state went on to stress that it was important to provide English training for Koreans that will allow them to use it freely in their daily lives.

[Taro Toporific]

"The largest eikaiwa school has a staff turnover of 70 percent a year"....

Maybe they're all heading to Korea. The President says, "Let's all English!"

On the corporate side of things, my first employer, Seiko-Epson, used to have an "Let's all English!" policy for documentation: if you wrote anything down, it had to be in English. Their accountants found the company saved 30% in costs in the long run using only English since Seiko-Epson was so export orientated. Likewise, Sony management's higher level of English has given them a big boast over other dinosaur companies like NEC, Toshiba....

[Taro Toporific]

Maybe they're all heading to Korea. The President says, "Let's all English!"

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200402/kt2004022317271710230.htm
President Roh Moo-hyun said on Monday the government will promote the official use of English by officials to put the country in a better position to take advantage of opportunities offered by rapid globalization

Here's some scary quotes about Korean education...


Night Study Becoming Par for Course in S. Korea
* Long, costly tutoring sessions are seen as crucial to getting to college. But strain on youths and parents raises concern.
24 Feb / Financial Times (sorry but free subscription is required)
..... "Korea is a country with few natural resources, so to better ourselves individually and as a nation we have to use our brains," said Lee Nan Young, a mother of two teenage students.
Commitment to education is reflected by research showing that South Korea's 15-year-olds have the highest level of scientific literacy and the second-highest level of mathematics standards among OECD members.
A slogan on the wall in Yang's English class reads: "Accomplish your dreams." But dreams come at a price: His hagwon fees are $280 a week.
"Half of our family's income is spent on education," said Lee Sook, a mother of two students who attend evening classes. "We go without holidays to afford it. In every area of life we make sacrifices for our children's education."

[Caustic Saint]

Here's some scary quotes about Korean education...

Night Study Becoming Par for Course in S. Korea
* Long, costly tutoring sessions are seen as crucial to getting to college. But strain on youths and parents raises concern.
24 Feb / Financial Times (sorry but free subscription is required)
..... "Korea is a country with few natural resources, so to better ourselves individually and as a nation we have to use our brains," said Lee Nan Young, a mother of two teenage students.
Commitment to education is reflected by research showing that South Korea's 15-year-olds have the highest level of scientific literacy and the second-highest level of mathematics standards among OECD members.

That sounds about right. My students go to middle school from about 8am to around 3pm, then they come to our institute from 3:30 until 10:10 - or later for the older students. Then they get to go home and do their homework (from both school and the institute) until around 1 or 2.

Great place to be a kid, eh?

[Gestalt]

American sociologist George Ritzer coined the term McDonaldization

That sounds like it goes great with Coca-colonization!

"coca-colonization", that is, the erosion of a country's indigenous culture and its replacement with corporate mass-culture, usually American in origin