【Excellent Foreign Teacher】SeokHyang: Lighting up the Lighthouse of Communication

North Campus, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, April 20^th, 2022  To enhance overseas teachers’ sense of honor and responsibility to participate in teaching, scientific research, social service and other work, fully arouse the enthusiasm and creativity to participate in the international construction of GDUFS, and create a working atmosphere of love and dedication, striving for progress and excellence, GDUFS held its annual election of “Outstanding Overseas Teachers” awards. Alison Mullins and other teachers were awarded the title of “Outstanding Overseas Teacher in 2020-2021”. They have consistently showed an exotic style on the lectern, and built a cultural bridge through their charismatic work. GDUFS specially planned its report on "Outstanding Overseas Teachers", and interviewed the overseas teachers and teachers from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who have won that title. It was an opportunity to listen to their experience of learning and living at GDUFS. This shows the persistence and dedication of overseas teachers who devote themselves to educating and spreading culture.

SeokHyang is a Korean teacher in the Faculty of Japanese Language and Culture, Faculty of Asian and African Studies (under preparation), and the “Asian Campus” project. She has abundant teaching experiences and is beloved by many students. She has served as a simultaneous interpreter and the translator between Korean and Japanese languages many times. What’s more, she assisted in the compilation of The Research of the East of Asia, and her paper was accepted by a Japanese magazine. SeokHyang guides students with her abundant knowledge while caring for them sincerely and influencing students with her passion. SeokHyang’s teaching is just like her name, serious and reliable.

SeokHyang with her students

SeokHyang is passionate towards what she is working for; she views high-stress work as a teacher’s responsibility. “Students from the project of “Asian Campus” must not only focus on their major, but develop their comprehensive abilities, that’s what we’re moving towards.” She uses a teaching method for freshmen which focuses on cultivating each student’s interests, for instance, teaching students Korean songs and introducing Korean culture. She encourages students to combine studying with their hobbies, which allows them to become familiar with the pronunciation of Korean while entertaining themselves. In class, SeokHyang will invite students who have a better grasp of Korean or Japanese to interpret into Chinese to improve their interpretation, meanwhile helping other students to understand.

As the old saying goes: “Believe the teacher and then his principle.” As for students, SeokHyang is not only a teacher, but more like a “mother”. She eats Korean cuisines with students, sharing her country’s food culture and etiquette. She climbs Baiyun Mountain with students, listening to her student’s sorrow. Having worked as a teacher for many years, she has handed down the happiness of studying knowledge and the wisdom of life to many generations of students. She constantly talks about students, what hide in her eyes with care and kindness. “As for me, my students are all innocent, kind and cute kids. I’m proud to witness their growth.” This is the biggest harvest SeokHyang has received in GDUFS, always holding a sincere and kind heart to treat and talk with students, keeping a humble heart to embrace all praise.

 A single silk won’t become a thread; A single tree won’t become a forest. SeokHyang views cultivating excellent students from East Asia as her teaching goal. After she joined GDUFS and became an “Asian Campus” teacher, SeokHyang has continued to integrate the context of international cooperation and communication into her class. She has shared a different campus life with students from China, Korea and Japan in her class, promoting their understandings of different culture; she believes communication and cooperation are always important. Through dividing students from different nations to different groups to let them perfectly communicate with each other, SeokHyang has successfully improved their abilities. In her many years of teaching, SeokHyang has devoted to creating a friendly atmosphere, encouraging students to learn from each other. She looks forward to contributing to a better relationship between China, Korea and Japan, and hopes her students can bear the great responsibility of developing the east of Asia in the future.