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     Do you happen to remember the joy of becoming literate when you were a child? What if you were still illiterate until now? It would be as if you had remained in a remote area, is far from the "World of Characters."Undoubtedly, it is essential to be able to read and write language for the more advanced educational course. Here is a woman who is going through her life as a volunteer of teaching Korean. To enlighten the illiterate, Lee, Kyoung-ja, who works in Sunlin Social Welfare Center as a Korean language instructor, is filled with enthusiasm and passion despite of her age.

     "There's no big reason for me to do this work. I just started because of the influence of my husband, who had passed away. He was a person who was willing to help the poor," she indulged herself in reminiscence when asked why she is doing volunteer work. At first, she planned to teach Korean for a short period and didn't consider this work as a serious thing. However, as times went by, she came under pressure from many people who liked her teaching style and wanted her to stay in the welfare center. "I was stuck in the middle of people's expectations," she said with a smile.

      There are three different classes according to the following levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. She teaches the advanced one three times a week and students of her class are proud of her. Unlike her, other instructors don't teach for a long period. This persistent teaching distinguishes her from other instructors. Aside from her regular classes, she teaches English alphabet, basic math, and Chinese character, as well. "In my class, I try not to bore my students, so I teach other subjects that they are fond of," she said.

     Her hope was small but necessary as a Korean teacher. She said that the textbooks need to have two aspects for learners. They should be written using plain Korean expressions and have other instructive contents covering many subjects. Korean classes in the welfare center still use an elementary school textbook but its contents are a little bit awkward to adult students. Some adult textbooks, however, in the bookstore also have some problems like pedantries. Her point was that books need to be improved in many ways.

     When asked what makes her feel this work is worth doing, she answered that the most fruitful thing in her 9-year-teaching was the letters that her students wrote to her. She was very moved when she received letters during the vacations. Regardless of the poor handwriting skill, the contents were fairly good because they reflect her effort. "Each letter contains its own scent. I'm happy with these letters." she said. To become a literate person, the students compete in good faith by motivating each other. At the same time, she expressed some difficulties about her volunteer job. Her life as a volunteer doesn't give her much time to take care of private commitments such as family affairs, daily routines, or her own study (she attends the Korea National Open University majoring in Korean language & literature). But she said that this voluntary and sacrificial work was so meaningful that it could offset all burdens from work.

"The easiest thing that I found in my life was study. There is no age limit for learning. I passed the exams for entering the middle and high school in two years when I was in my 60s. It was not easy but I felt I was reborn as I entered the university. A whole new world that I didn't know about was open to me. It's an indefinable something. In that sense, the old, who are eager to learn Korean even though they are old, need to enjoy the lifetime education," She remembered that she made a lot of efforts and talked about the late learners.

* photo by Hong, Jin-woo
Lee, Kyoung-ja

The endless passion for learning and ceaseless enthusiasm for teaching seemed to brighten Lee's life. Looking back on her past 50 years that were not blessed with education due to maintaining livlihood, she looked like old person in the twilight of life by appearance, but still young at heart when it comes to teaching and learning. Throughout the interview, she showed her confidence about teaching her students as long as she would be in good condition. Wrapping up the interview, she emphasized one thing: "Better late than never."