Leadership and Service: A Life Path for ELT Professionals
Interview with Dr. Park Joo-Kyung
Many people in the Gwangju area know Professor Park Joo-Kyung for her work in the field of English language teaching (ELT) as an instructor, teacher trainer, administrator, ELT association leader, and the list goes on. But what you may not be as aware of is that she is also widely known in ELT circles throughout the nation and, indeed, throughout Asia and beyond for her leadership and service – as attested to by her recent appointment as president-elect of AsiaTEFL. Our KOTESOL interviewer recently caught up with Dr. Park to quiz her more on her leadership and service activities over the years. — Ed.
KOTESOL: First, Dr. Park, I would like to thank you for making time for this interview. I would like to ask you to first introduce yourself to our readers – things like your educational background, where you work, what you do there, and what kind of research you conduct.
Park Joo-Kyung: Thank you for having me. I received my bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Sejong University and my MA in linguistics, focusing on phonetics, from Seoul National University. There I also completed my doctoral studies in linguistics, except for my dissertation, and taught Korean as a foreign language at the University’s Language Education Center. Then I got my PhD in educational curriculum and instruction, specializing in ESL/EFL/bilingual education, at Texas A&M University (TAMU) in the United States. I was the first Korean doctoral student, teaching assistant, and later part-time lecturer in the Department of Educational Curriculum and Instruction at TAMU, marking a “first” on my life path.
KOTESOL: Your life path has taken you to a university position in Gwangju. Please tell us about that.
Park Joo-Kyung: I am presently a professor in the Department of English Language at Honam University, where I was among the initial faculty members of my department in 1995. I have taught undergraduate and graduate students as well as local teachers of English through teacher education programs offered by Honam University and by the teacher education centers in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do, and many other parts of Korea as a program developer and teacher trainer. My research interests include teacher education, speech and pronunciation, English as a lingua franca, and critical pedagogy. In addition to teaching and doing research, my life at Honam has kept me busy performing many different roles with many different responsibilities.
I have served as chair of the English Department, the first managing director of the Foreign Language Center, director of the American Studies Center, the first director of the English Learning and Experience Center, the first director of the International Culture Center, and as the first director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Honam. Through all these leadership and service positions, I was able to develop and run numerous innovative programs on English language learning and teaching, and intercultural communication for Honam students, local school children, teachers, and the wider community, including migrant women in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do.
KOTESOL: Impressive, indeed! But in addition to all this, you have also been quite active in the community outside of Honam University and the field of ELT.
Park Joo-Kyung: Well, I was also a radio show host at Gwangju Foreign Language Network (GFN) and a guest host at the Far-East Broadcasting Company (FEBC), a local Christian radio station. For both, I was the first Korean university professor to serve in these positions. Currently, I am on the board of directors of GFN and the Gwangju International Center (GIC). I also teach English Bible classes at my church, Gwangju First Presbyterian Church. I think my life as an ELT professional has been very challenging but at the same time extremely rewarding and gratifying. And it was possible not only because I was strongly committed to what I have done but also, and more importantly, because I was fortunate enough to have so many wonderful people to work with, including you, David. So, thank you.
KOTESOL: Well, thank you for the kind but undeserved mention. I know that you have been active in Korea TESOL – KOTESOL – and its Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter for many years. Would you tell us about your activities and experiences in KOTESOL?
Park Joo-Kyung: KOTESOL is my professional home, where I was nurtured and empowered through many different roles and responsibilities. My first encounter with KOTESOL was in 1993 at the first KOTESOL Conference held at Wonkwang University in Iri (now Iksan), Jeollabuk-do. I was so amazed by the size and quality of the conference, and immediately became a member and wanted to join a local chapter. I was teaching at the Language Research Center of Chonnam National University (CNU) in Gwangju back then, and the nearest chapter was in Jeonju, about a one-hour drive from Gwangju. So, I wanted to have a chapter in Gwangju. With great support and help from my colleagues at CNU – Scott and Claudia Payne, and Carla Chamberlain, to name a few – I managed to establish a new chapter. We joined with the Jeonju Chapter to become the Jeolla Chapter (which separated years later into Gwangju-Jeonnam and Jeonju-North Jeolla).
The Jeolla Chapter became a giant baby, quickly growing into the second largest chapter of KOTESOL within a year after its foundation (only the Seoul Chapter was larger). Thanks to its rapid growth and development under my leadership, I was elected to serve as the second vice- president of KOTESOL in 1994, as first vice-president the next year, and then as president (1996–1997), making me the very first young woman, at age 38, to become the president of a national ELT organization in Korea. It was quite an extraordinary experience for me, and it provided a very solid stepping stone in furthering my life path of leadership and service in the field of ELT, both domestically and outside of Korea. I have also served in many different functions and capacities in KOTESOL, such as the editor-in-chief of the Korea TESOL Journal, KOTESOL editor of the Pan-Asian Consortium’s PAC Journal, and frequently as an invited speaker to KOTESOL’s regional, national, and international conferences. My relationship – or love affair, I should say – with KOTESOL is still on-going.
KOTESOL: Indeed, it is! You just participated in a panel discussion at the KOTESOL International Conference last month. The theme was “EFL Professionals for a Better World: Lives of Leadership and Service.” How was that experience?
Park Joo-Kyung: It was awesome. It is always great to be part of a wonderful group of people who are in the same field with a common mind and spirit. We were selected as five “esteemed” female leaders in ELT, all nearing the end of our formal careers in education. The panelists included Dr. Yilin Sun, former president of TESOL International Association and professor at Seattle College, USA; Dr. Ilene Winokur, a professional development specialist in Kuwait; Dr. Yeum Kyungsook former board member of TESOL International and director of SMU TESOL at Sookmyung Women’s University; Dr. Sterling Plata of La Salle University, Philippines; and me. Lindsay Herron, the conference chair, was our moderator.
Lindsay asked us about what we had done as an educator or researcher that we considered courageous and particularly challenging for us and the most rewarding and gratifying moment of our career. I talked about some major programs and activities that I have pioneered throughout my thirty-year career, trying to make my students happier about learning and using English by facilitating them to utilize their own gifts and talents to find their own meaningful purpose in relation to the language. As these endeavors all required a strong commitment, extra time, energy, and even financial resources, they were very challenging. But they turned out to be the most rewarding and gratifying experiences for me.
The fifty-minute session was far too limited for us to share all of our stories of motivations, inspirations, and growth, but I was able to share my thoughts with the participants on how to make the world a better one, which was the conference theme and the last question we were asked.
I believe we can make the world a better place by making people better individuals. We as ELT professionals need to be better and happier people first; then we will be able to inspire others to become better individuals through our continuous leadership and service within and beyond our English classrooms. More than anything, I am happy that I have new friends and colleagues with whom I can share and exchange life experiences after retirement, which will be in February 2024 for me.
KOTESOL: What did you think of this year’s KOTESOL International Conference in general?
Park Joo-Kyung: First and foremost, I really liked this year’s conference theme: “More Than Words: Teaching for a Better World.” It was a timely and very much needed theme, as we have been experiencing so many natural and man-made disasters of late, including the pandemic and the war in Europe. Second, the invited speaker lineup was also very impressive. Dr. Rebecca Oxford’s featured talk about peace linguistics was very informative and inspiring, particularly because I just recently joined the Peace Linguistics group on Facebook led by Jocelyn Wright, one of the core people of KOTESOL. Third, the online conference platform, Edzil.la, was very useful and convenient thanks to the tutorials, “tech check” sessions, and prompt and efficient communication between the organizers and participants. Overall, it was very successful, setting a good example of quality for an online conference. Kudos to all on the conference organizing committee!
KOTESOL: I am glad you enjoyed the conference. Now, what does Park Joo-Kyung like to do when her professor duties are over, and she can kick off her heels?
Park Joo-Kyung: In my free time or between work-related projects, I enjoy watching music shows on TV and on YouTube, either classical or pop, and singing in my car or in the bathroom. Singing is my favorite way of releasing stress from work and life, and before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, I used to go to norae-bang or karaoke rooms by myself and sing for an hour, non-stop, covering all kinds of songs that I can sing – from Korean pop to gagok or lyric songs, CCM [contemporary Christian music], American pop, and even old Chinese pop songs. Oh, I will also tell you my open secret: I started ballet lessons last July and have now become a fervent advocate of ballet. I had never imagined myself doing ballet, but I am so glad I found something, before it is too late, that I can continue doing after my retirement. I also try to read books on some unfamiliar topics and fields such as AI but often find it difficult to move on to the next page. Then I give up and turn to my favorite music shows. Lastly, my other favorite thing to do is learn foreign languages. I have learned English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, German, and French from school, and tried to teach myself Russian and Portuguese but was not very successful. I would like to take some classes in the future.
KOTESOL: Well, you have had time to kick off your shoes – and time to put on ballet slippers! Is there anything else you would like to say to our readership before closing this interview?
Park Joo-Kyung: I would like to invite all the teachers of English reading the Gwangju News to both KOTESOL and AsiaTEFL not only for your continuous professional development but also for life enrichment. I am so grateful for the life of leadership and service that I have had through my two favorite organizations, and I am sure that you will have similar or even better experiences. So, please consider participating in them.
KOTESOL: Thank you, Dr. Park, for a look into your life of leadership and service in the area of ELT and beyond. The strides that you have made contain footsteps of inspiration for many of the younger practitioners in ELT to follow in.
Interviewed by David Shaffer.
Photographs courtesy of Dr. Park Joo-Kyung.
The Interviewer
David Shaffer has been involved in TEFL and teacher training in Gwangju for many years. As vice-president of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of KOTESOL, he invites you to participate in the chapter’s teacher development workshops (presently online) and in KOTESOL activities in general. He is a past president of KOTESOL and is currently the editor-in-chief of the Gwangju News.