SIS held the 2024 Korea Council of Overseas Schools (KORCOS) conference on Nov. 9 to give teachers an opportunity to share insights on their experiences in the educational field. The annual gathering, called the International Educators Conference (IEC), rotates among member schools, with SIS returning as the host school for the first time in 10 years. Under the theme “Small Steps, Big Impacts,” the event offered over 60 workshops and helped educators from Korean international schools share various communication and teaching methods in the classroom, learn about the ethical use of AI, and much more.
“The thing that really brings our conference together is a focus on doing the little things every day as best as we possibly can,” David Mannell, KORCOS organizer, said. “How can we do some of those little things right consistently every single day to have a really big impact on our students’ lives? Our presentations are all going to center around that theme.”
The event opened with student performances from choir and strings, presented by the SIS HS Music Department. Afterward, special guest speaker Jennifer Abrams delivered a one-hour keynote address about great methods of communication and how educators can embrace growth in their workplaces. The rest of the day was organized into four different sessions full of workshops and presentations from other teachers.
Students also helped out throughout the entire day through volunteering, presenting, and showcasing exhibitions. Clubs such as the United Youth Service Club (UYSC) organized the sales of metal bracelets that former SIS band director Michael Ganus made. In the club exhibitions, students were able to present their extracurricular activities to educators all around Korea.
“I think KORCOS was a great opportunity for different educational organizations to come together and discuss important issues in communities,” Sungwook Kim (12), UYSC sales leader, said. “It was also a way for SIS to show how amazing our community is and definitely a way for our school to build our reputation.”
