A Classroom Where Students Become 'Participants,' Not 'Onlookers'

The students of Seongmisan School, an alternative educational institution focused on community-based learning, are redefining classroom engagement. Instead of passively receiving information, they actively immerse themselves in field research, transforming the often-oversimplified narratives of marginalized groups into deeply personal stories.

Through their post-secondary program, which spans grades 10 and 11, students eschew a fixed curriculum. Instead, they adopt the approach of anthropologists, venturing into the field to encounter individuals whose voices are often silenced or "invisibilized." They build friendships and strive to make the stories of those affected by disaster, climate crisis, war, and inequality their own.

One student, Norang, became aware of the "connection between war and myself" after meeting people displaced by conflicts surrounding the Jeju naval base and the THAAD missile deployment in Seongju. This realization led to an interview with his grandfather, a Vietnam War veteran, who, despite always framing his service as a "good experience," confided his desire to be free from the "bags of medicine" filling his drawers due to Agent Orange side effects. This poignant story is featured in the graduation documentary "Your Liberation."

Another student, Ttolchu, who identifies outside the gender binary, proposed the implementation of gender-neutral restrooms at Seongmisan School, advocating for inclusivity. Meanwhile, In, a student in elementary school, is archiving the Sewol Ferry disaster not as a past event but as a living memory. The book "Pedagogy of Friendship and Solidarity" chronicles these and other instances where students transition from being mere "onlookers" to becoming active "participants" in their education and in the world around them.

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I want to be free from the bags of medicine.