A Journeying Professor

Taking out a jar of coffee from his bag, with his long hair fashionably pinned, Heath asked me whether I wanted a cup of coffee right before the interview. I could tell right off the bat that with Heath, I was in no way dealing with an ordinary person; and indeed, I was right. “I’ve got nothing to hide.” This was his response when I asked him whether there was anything that he’d rather not talk about. It is my honor, to now share this splendid story about our Californian professor (of the G.E.O. program).

Heath was actually adopted before his first birthday (second birthday, for those following the Korean way of counting ages), by an American couple living in Michigan, where he spent a good portion of his life. Heath’s parents did not hide all this from him at all, to the point of actually exposing their son to Korean culture (i.e. Korean toys, stories, etc.). Such endeavors were, however, not enough – it really is inevitable – to keep Heath from being raised as an American child. Consequently, the thought that he was an Asian never really crossed his mind until entering high school. He went on to finish college (four different schools in four years!), majoring in Theatre, but the need to give serious thoughts about his own identity became increasingly evident as years passed. And this personal quest to ascertain his true identity and to experience, as a grown-up, just about everything in Korea was exactly what brought him back here for the first time since his adoption. He is probably still searching for answers in Korea, where he claims to have had only positive experiences up until now. So far so good, huh?

So the students in G.E.O. get to meet this wonderful person and join him on his marvelous journey, while simultaneously learning the English language. Then what exactly does Heath think about the G.E.O. Program? I asked him two questions regarding the G.E.O., and here are his answers:

1. In your opinion, what is it that makes the G.E.O. program so effective?

 According to Heath, it is the “philosophy of education” behind the G.E.O. Program that enables it to upstage most – if not all – English-instructing programs. Such a great idea at hand, combined with strong leadership of its directors and coordinators, is what makes this program so special. So what exactly is this “philosophy of education?” Well, it perceives education to be something organic. In other words, the G.E.O. program aims to transcend the “linguistic totalitarianism” practiced by most English-instructing programs and institutes that place needlessly strong emphasis on “the facts” (things like grammar). English is only a tool according to this philosophy, thus eliminating the danger of making English take over. The G.E.O. program helps students concentrate on what is really important (that is, speaking abilities), and allows them to have fun at the same time.

2. How can you describe your very own, unique teaching method?

 Heath was able to summarize his teaching method in just one simple word: empathy. Thanks to his very rich and diverse experiences, Heath is able to easily place himself in others’ shoes. In other words, to burrow his words, he knows how to not force his ego on his students. He tries his best to sympathize with his students and really understand them. According to him, his experiences in theatre arts help him a lot in achieving this goal.

 

written by Hun Lee
Photographer : Ji-hye Oh