The Life of a Rabbit Teacher at Neutbom Moon Ik-hwan School

안녕하세요 토끼쌤입니다~ Annyeonghaseyo tokkissaemimnida~ Hello, Rabbit Teacher here!

At the entrance to the school "Late Spring"

"Rabbit Teacher" is my nickname at Late Spring Moon Ik-hwan School 늦봄문익환학교. The school is an alternative boarding school for 7th-12th graders in Gangjin, Jeollanam-do (southwestern Korea). It is named after the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK) Pastor Moon Ik-hwan. Neutbom "Late Spring" was his pen name. He was a leading figure in South Korea's democratization and reunification movements in the 1970s and 80s as well as a scholar and theologian who helped to translate the Old Testament into Korean from the original Hebrew for the first time. Though the school was not founded by him, a group of people inspired by his life and teachings decided to establish the school in 2006.

You can see murals and paintings of him around the campus such as this one:

A student painted this mural for his 3rd grade (9th grade) project

The school works very hard to create a healthy, enriching, and fun environment for the students to grow in as well as to provide them with a well-rounded education, which means cultivating multiple types of knowledge and skills. The result is a vibrant, peaceful, and beautiful life. Here are a few scenes from that life:

Meditation. After the students return from their bi-weekly break (they go home every other weekend to spend time with their families), they meet in the assembly hall. The students sit in rows according to their grade. The 6th graders are called 1st graders here, and the 12th graders are called 6th graders. As you can see, the fifth graders have the biggest class. The meeting starts with silent meditation before reading a poem together and then singing a song. The meeting ends with reciting the school principles together and sharing announcements.
A student using one of several phone booths around campus to talk to their parents. Cell phone use is prohibited among the students in order to foster a culture of being present and socializing with one another.
Tea ceremony. Students learn the art of the tea ceremony and take turns serving one another.
Chocolate also accompanied the tea 😋

School store. Wow, I forgot about school stores! Even though the school discourages the students from consuming processed food, here, you can buy snacks ranging from ramen and wafer cookies to vegan jerky and ice cream. The store is student-run, so the students get to practice their business skills!
My first day, I was generously gifted laundry detergent, maratang ramen (see my last post for maratang), and banana puff balls 🍌
Pungmul 풍물 Korean traditional music class featuring drums and gongs. The middle schoolers have directed practice, but the high schoolers direct themselves independently. Though loud, they sound good!
Students practice in the assembly hall/cafeteria, the largest building on campus 🪘
Modern boomboxes: handheld speakers. The students carry around speakers with downloaded songs when they want to listen to music. This could be in the cafeteria, walking to class, or during cooking/cleaning/farming time.
Student listening to music on the swing 🎶
Cooking/cleaning/farming time: every afternoon, the students divide into three teams. One team makes a snack to accompany dinner, one team cleans, and one teams does farm work. My first day, we made muffins:
This week, the students made s'more and matcha marshmallow cookies!

Garlic. During farming time this week, we planted garlic!
Garlic planted two weeks ago!
The best doenjangjjigae 된장찌개 (soybean paste soup). Made with doenjang (fermented bean paste) made right here on campus!
All the banchan (side dishes) are made at the school! Most of the meals are pescatarian or have a pescatarian option, which is why the meat on my tray is actually vegan!
항아리 hangari jars containing soy sauce, fermented soybean paste, salt, etc.
Laughter! Lots of laughter in hallways of the dormitory. I live on the same floor as the girls, and I often see them dancing, singing, and joking around. We can hear the boys below us singing, too! I've introduced Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza to them, and they've taught me 딸기게임 (strawberry game), 이중모션 (double motion), 007빵 (007 bang), 아파트 게임 (apartment game), and I Am Ground.
View of the two-story dormitory 🛌
Persimmon-picking. There are several persimmon trees around campus, and fall is when they are ripe! Students pick them to eat as snacks and are picking persimmons for me in the photo below:

Singing. I've never been in a band (besides marching band), but the students have formed little bands of their own! There seems to be at least two groups, and you can hear them practicing in the music room during free time. I have yet to see a performance, but I am very much looking forward to it!
Korean Wordle. Every Friday night, the students organize their own activity/game time. For Hangul Day (10/9), the students created a quiz featuring a Korean version of Wordle! This week, they organized a memorial service for the victims of the 2022 Itaewon Tragedy.

Sports. Soccer and basketball are popular with the boys at the school, who outnumber the girls 18 to 7. That's right, the student body, all six grades combined, is only 25 students. At the school's peak, the student body numbered more than 100, but due to various issues, including attacks from the conservative press, enrollment has declined in recent years. In 2026, the school will take a break to discern its future course.
Basketball is an almost daily post-dinner ritual among the boys
Downward dog. Every Friday, the students have yoga class. My first yoga class, we worked on headstands at the end. I need to keep practicing, but some of the other students held their headstand for several minutes!
View of one of the classroom buildings 🏫
Snacks! On the weekends, the students receive an evening snack. The snacks I've seen so far have been Korean toast (which is basically a sandwich but doesn't count as a meal), 꽈배기 ggwabaegi Korean twisted donuts, Korean pastries, and Mom's Touch sandwiches.
Religious exploration. Though Rev. Moon Ik-hwan was a Christian pastor, the students are encouraged to explore different religions and start developing their own faith. On the weekend, the students can choose to attend a Presbyterian church, a Catholic church, a Buddhist temple, or a Won Buddhist sanctuary. Students must commit to one at the beginning of each semester. Two weeks ago, there was a festival at the Buddhist temple featuring a Buddhist food competition. The dishes were beautiful!
Pinecone-shaped persimmon!
Below is a video from a visit to a Won Buddhist sanctuary. Won Buddhism is a Buddhist movement that began in Korea in the early 20th century with the goal of making Buddhism more relevant in modern times. I still don't know much about the religion myself and am still learning. Here is their website.

Comic books. There is a dedicated 만화방 manhwabang (manga room) on campus where students can read comics. Here I am on a Saturday afternoon reading a comic recommended to me by a student.
The tables and benches in this room were made by former students! 🛠️
Student-made furniture. In addition to the tables and benches in the previous picture, the students also assembled these bunk beds. Here is my room on move-in day. The view out the window looks fake, but it's not! The lush mountain forest is my backyard~ 🌲

The stars. One of my favorite activities is stargazing (even though I only know a few constellations), and you can see the stars really well here at Neutbom ✨
In the bottom right of the photo, you can just make out Orion's belt
Rev. Moon Ik-hwan and his wife Bomgil (Spring Road) Park Yong-gil. There is a small park with their statues and buildings for learning about their lives and legacy. The path is in the shape of the Korean peninsula.
Whenever I see them, I feel comforted by their spirits watching over the school.

Student Survey

I asked the students what their favorite thing about Neutbom was, and here's what they said, in order of popularity:

The people—They enjoy spending time with their friends and not being lonely.
Sense of freedom—The school doesn't operate like a study factory. Therefore, the students feel that they have more personal freedom, including more free time.
Good teachings—While they aren't forced to study as much as their public school counterparts, they find value in the school's unique curriculum focused on history, social issues, and self-development. One student reported that the learning environment and culture at Neutbom makes them want to become a good person and that, because of this, they feel more motivated to study compared to public school.
Fun!—The students enjoy all of the fun activities they get to partake in at the school, many of which they would not have had the opportunity to do at home.
Travel—Included in those fun activities is travel. Students can sign up for study abroad trips, such as the June trip to Okinawa and the upcoming trip to Singapore and Malaysia. Domestic trips are common, too: we recently went to the nearby city of Goheung together as well as Jeju Island.
Being in nature—Students feel that they are able to clear their head in the school's natural environment.
Healthy lifestyle—The students enjoy being able to be active on campus, including playing lots of sports.
No-phone policy—(Some) students appreciate the limited use of electronics as they feel it is healthier for them.

I also asked them what their least favorite thing about Neutbom was:

Feeling stuffed up and isolated from the outside world—The students are not allowed to leave campus by themselves, even on the weekends. Even if they were, the campus is in a remote area, so they would need a car or public transportation to get to a nearby town. Also, due to the limited electronic-use, the school culture can feel outdated. Last but not least, they miss their families.
No-phone policy—This was one of the top answers.
Lack of freedom—Students can't eat what they want, do what they want, go where they want, etc. Some students feel that there are too many rules.
Insular—Related to number 1. While they love their friends, it can be difficult to live with them 24/7. However, whatever conflict arises is also resolved quickly—precisely because everyone has to see each other every day.
Too much hiking—During those two trips to Jeju and Goheung, the students did long hikes. Plus, to train for those hikes, they did other hikes leading up to the trips. Hiking is also an option for the daily morning exercise, cheerfully called "Greeting the Day," in addition to jump rope and running.
Busy schedule—The students have a busy schedule from 7am to 9pm daily that includes cleaning, exercise, and work-time in addition to classes and study time. On the other hand, the students have a break every Wednesday afternoon in addition to free weekends, including two long weekends a month. Once a month, there is a five-day weekend, and once a month there is a three-day weekend meaning students are in school three fewer days a month than their public school counterparts. On these weekends the students go home, while on the two-day weekends, the students stay on campus.
Lots of homework—Responded one student while working on their homework.

Photos of the 해월류 Haewollyu pavilion at the end of the hiking trail behind the school

No phone-policy? 📵

When asked whether they supported the no-phone policy, only two students raised their hand in support of the policy. The consensus seems to be that while the students understand the reason for the policy, they feel there should be more flexibility in it. For example, having designated phone-use time, perhaps on the weekend.

Rabbit Teacher 🐰

In terms of my responsibilities at Neutbom, I teach English speaking and reading. I teach all six grades one to two times a week, for a total of nine 50-minute classes per week. This week, I had the high schoolers write a recommendation of their favorite book in English after providing an example of my own recommendation of Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov. During English conversation class, we went over different greetings, such as "How are you?" and "How's it going?" as well as "How's life treatin' ya?" and "What's up?"

English classroom featuring a library of English children's books 📚

Day 1: Reading Dav Pilkey's Dragon's Fat Cat with 4th and 5th graders

Before I came to Neutbom, I was teaching Korean in Minnesota, which I absolutely loved. This is my first time teaching English, and I figured there was no way I could enjoy teaching English more than Korean. However, teaching is teaching, and I've realized that teaching itself is what I love—more than Korean or English. Or maybe, it's the students that I love! Probably a combination of both~

I've had a wonderful experience at Neutbom so far, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the semester! Until next time!

Have a nice autumn! 🍁