[Kathryn Sutherland]

When Dr. Jung-Kim asked how we would use what we learned in her seminar in our own class, my wheels were spinning with all of the new information I learned, but I couldn't come up with anything concrete at the time. I loved her discussion of women in Korea--could I introduce my students to some strong women in 19th or 20th century Korea?  Maybe I could discuss identity with the children, asking them what their names, their hair, their clothes mean to them, and how they would feel if this was taken away.  But upon further reflection, I realized that my biggest takeaway from the lecture was the relationship between Korea and Japan in the late 19th and early 20th century.  This relationship was not something that was highlighted in the history books and lectures when I was in school, so learning about all the events that led up to the annexation of Korea and Korea under Japanese rule was fascinating.  

My first unit in kindergarten is about relationships: we focus on positive and negative relationships--what makes a relationship positive, what makes a relationship negative--that we see in the garden, on the school yard, and in books we read.  Countries have relationships too--and Japan and Korea in the 20th century have a relationship that my students would definitely characterize as negative (secret treaties, the March First movement, censoring the press, forced name changes--these are all things I think my students would like to learn about, and I would like to teach about!).  I think broadening their understanding of relationships to include bigger, more abstract ideas like countries or peoples would be a great way to expand my relationships unit.  I still need more help figuring this out--how would you guys frame the events that transpired between Japan and Korea from the 1890s to the 1950s in a way that remains faithful to the facts, is developmentally appropriate, and doesn't over-simplify (as history is most of the time for the young ones)?  

My goal for my class is for my students to leave with an understanding and appreciation that people fight for what they believe in--that not everything in the world is rainbows and unicorns and cupcakes, but that people before them have made a difference, and they can too.  

[Kathryn Sutherland]

One of the notes that popped out at me that I wrote down from Dr. Dube's seminar read "Aging population is the East Asian story--so what does this mean for the economy?" Relating this to my class might be a little challenging--I could put out a bunch of manipulatives, take two away, put one back, take two away, put one back, and ask what they think will happen to the manipulatives if I keep going--but the concepts of population, death, and birth rates might be a little much for the five year olds. 🙂

However, this is still a topic that I as a not-five-year-old find very interesting (it is also a topic that I would have loved to explore when I was teaching high school statistics!)  The negative population growth in Japan was first brought to my attention in Aziz Ansari's book Modern Romance--he explores the subject of dating in Japan, listing some surprising statistics (for instance, 1/3 of Japanese people surveyed under 30 said they had never dated; approximately 1/2 of Japanese men in their early 30s were single; 45 percent of women surveyed 16-24 "were uninterested in or despised sexual contact") and hypotheses of why there has been such a stark decline in relationships and marriage (shifts away from arranged marriages, stagnation of the economy and of men's wages, rise of career women).  His book is just about romance--it does not delve into the economic ramifications of an aging population in Japan (and East Asia).  The government's response over the next few decades to the decline in birthrates in these countries will be very interesting to follow, and will likely determine geopolitical powershifts.  What will happen? Will governments decide to encourage immigration? Will economic incentives for women be enough to decide to have children? Will a more "western" approach to relationships be adopted (more children out of wedlock, more single parents or co-parents?  Side note: the difference between the US and Japan with regards to relationships can be seen when juxtaposing Japan's reality show, "Terrace House" to "The Real World." Both have strangers living in a house together...but how the strangers go about living together could not be more different!)  If nothing is done, the economy may start to enter a negative feedback loop: fewer people, less money; less money, fewer people...  Dr. Dube mentioned that China was looking to robots and automation as its population ages--and how will this affect the global economy?  Whenever there is a void, for better or worse, something will arise to fill it.  The aging population in East Asia is a problem with no clear-cut or win-win solution.  

 

[Kathryn Sutherland]

Oo! Great question.  I am currently reading Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Water to the Angels by Les Standiford, and Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties by David A. Kilpatrick.  All great reads so far, and all very different from eachother...

[Kathryn Sutherland]

Hello! My name is Kathryn Sutherland and I teach Kindergarten in Echo Park.  

I enjoyed my time as a history major in college, so I am very excited to learn more about East Asia since 1800!    

Looking forward to meeting everyone.

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