Here is what Tim wrote about his 2006 experience.

Being asked what one thinks of George W. Bush is, in our Western society, not such an unusual question. But how about being asked that same question by a 16 year old……North Korean…..in a school in central Pyongyang…….with an audience of 18 students and 6 teachers……under the gaze of the Great Leader and Dear Leader? It was one of the last questions I thought I’d hear in a classroom situation.

As the first known western foreigner (if not, foreigner) to teach English, in the school system (outside of university) in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, situations such as this were unexpected and refreshingly went against the grain of common Western perceptions of the ‘Hermit Kingdom.’

I shuffled uncomfortably as the boisterous roars of laughter rang out from staff and students alike. “I’m not really here to answer those kind of questions,” I replied in an apolitical, piss-weak kind of way. I joined them in laughter, only too aware I’d either avoided an international incident……or, more to the point, a chance for a great comedic comeback.

My three months in Pyongyang were spent teaching English at three middle schools. Middle schools cater for students ranging in age from 11 to 16. Initially I was to teach at one school only, the June 9 Daesong Middle School No. 1, a district middle school and designated the New Zealand Friendship School. When I arrived in Pyongyang I was informed that I would also be teaching at two of the three elite schools of Korea, Kumsong College and Kumsong Middle School No. 1.

My brief was to follow the set curriculum, in the younger grades, in my own style, while teaching my own curriculum to the older students, mainly in order to boost conversation skills. I was encouraged to ‘swing from the chandeliers,’ to do things my own way, and to provide practical ideas for teachers of English. This was all a great surprise. My expectation was that I would have to adopt the formal, lecture style of the traditional North Korean classroom and that I would have to be extremely cautious with how I presented information – God forbid I use any imperialist Americanisms. While at times I may have been naïve in what I said, I also know I wasn’t stupid. Put simply it was all about showing your hosts respect. I was able to relax (as much as I possibly could) and enjoy teaching my way….that of a New Zealand primary school teacher.

The English speaking level of the students at the two elite schools took me aback. For such a reclusive, isolated nation with very few westerners in their midst, the level of English would shame a few native speakers. Their teachers were trained at Kim Il Sung University and The Pyongyang Foreign Languages University and their knowledge, as well as their passion for teaching English was truly remarkable. Their hunger for knowledge at times left me ‘stripped bare,’ and I often felt like Ringling Brother’s Circus as up to 15 teachers would squeeze impossibly into a gap at the back of the classroom to view my ‘act.’

Perhaps the biggest challenge was getting the 15 and 16 year old students to have meaningful conversations in English. Not an easy task and something the Korean teachers seemed to think I’d achieve yesterday! One successful method was what I labelled the ‘simulation exercise.’ It was where I provided a scenario for the students to discuss in small groups then share back with the whole class, hopefully stimulating some debate. One of these exercises involved the students choosing four (imaginary) people, from a list of about 16, to rescue from a sinking ship and share their life raft. I had drafted up profiles for each person and there were a number of conditions to adhere to. My aforementioned naivety had me present, as one of the imaginary people, a 70 year old millionairess. It didn’t strike me until well into the first lesson (I had to present the same lesson to at least 4 classes) that the millionairess may be frowned upon – a person who represents western materialism and stands in contrast to the socialist ethic.

There was some tremendous discussion and debate about who should be chosen for the life boat. The 42 year old policeman? The 37 year old chef? The famous opera singer (chosen by several groups for morale!)? The former heavyweight champion boxer? And so on. It wasn’t until the fourth class, which contained some hard case characters, and particularly strong English speakers, that the unexpected happened. To great hoots of laughter, again from staff and students, one group chose the millionairess after I had long forgotten her ‘existence’ in this exercise. Their argument? “That we might sail towards the land of New Zealand, in which case we would need a lot of money to buy food and clothes, then an air ticket back to Korea.” In my teacher evaluation I wrote, “Keep the millionairess.”

The younger students were a great mix of wariness and unbridled enthusiasm. Looking resplendent in their white shirts and red sash they would rise with military precision when I entered the room, and exclaim a hearty, “GOOD MORNING, SIR!” The first time I stepped into the junior classrooms it seemed I was cast as the ‘big-nosed white devil’ in their midst. I’d like to think that the devil part of that myth was soon eradicated. The photo sessions (cameras always appeared as I was nearing the end of my time with particular classes) I had with the younger boys ended up being a scramble as they raced to either link arms with or be closest to the foreigner.

Just as I thought I was establishing myself as a C-grade celebrity in Pyongyang it seemed that the younger students of Kumsong Middle School No. 1 had scuppered my meteoric rise. I had been teaching them about the Maori folk hero, Maui, and how he had harnessed the sun so the Maori people wouldn’t have to live in darkness. I read the story to them, and then wrote it in script form for them to act out in small groups. The students decided that they wanted to be as authentic as possible in their portrayal of the Maui story as I was to find out at a banquet put on for me by the hierarchy of Kumsong Middle School. Sitting politely with the Principal, Deputy Principal and a couple of party officials, I heard that the school was facing a minor environmental disaster. The Principal had earlier stopped his car to ask some boys why they were tearing out the foliage around the school. “We are doing a play for Mr. Tim Kearns and we are making our costumes,” came the reply. As I sank in my seat the men all erupted with laughter and my glass filled with vodka. The school were a few trees short, but those grass skirts and head bands looked mighty fine under the stage lights. And it wasn’t a problem.

Socially the teachers were full of fun and good humour. I had suggested at one of the teacher meetings that it is good for teachers to socialise and plan together over a coffee or a beer. The Koreans loved this idea and it ended up becoming a weekly (sometimes daily) event. At these times there would be intense educational discussion, a lot of questions about NZ education and society, regular eulogising about what a great job they thought I was doing and me replying with what a great job they’re doing (a Korean thing), and outright good humour. I found that they appreciated frankness, and, it never hurt that one had studied a little Korean history for good measure. So, we covered a multitude of diverse subjects, from the NZ English curriculum to club sandwiches (as in, what it is) to the history of Christchurch (my home town) and lots of points in between. I often had to pinch myself that I was in this situation.

If you work hard for the Koreans and are seen to be giving your best, they return in kind with great hospitality, warm generosity, and, most of all, a gaining of their trust.

My experience in the DPRK would not have happened without the huge assistance of the NZ/DPRK Society. I am extremely thankful to Reverend Don Borrie who really stuck his neck on the line to get me in and supported the cause all the way. He has an excellent reputation in the DPRK – he is well respected and trusted. Along with great timing, I believe it was largely his influence that got me in. Reverend Stuart Vogel and Dr. Tim Beal were also instrumental in this journey and I greatly appreciated their advice and encouragement. I hope my experience has paved the way for others in the field of education to experience such a unique educational opportunity.

   See also:    Teaching English in NK

http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20081007000032

A Kiwi's experience teaching kids in North Korea

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2017/09/life-inside-north-korea-as-a-kiwi-teacher.html

North Korea’s new textbook won’t criticize America

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/12/120_101782.html

   My Experience at PUST   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnBuzVOaMIw