They not like us - Grade 4 lesson

 

Grade 4 Lesson: “Is This Your Pencil?”

Today’s English lesson video for my fourth graders started innocently enough. The story takes place in a Korean tourist shop.

A Black boy asks the shopkeeper about the price of an eraser — it costs 500 won, about fifty cents in U.S. currency. He realizes he doesn’t have enough money, so he quietly leaves the store, looking disappointed. Moments later, a Korean boy buys the eraser and proudly hands it to him outside, surrounded by their classmates.

Fifty cents.

On the surface, it seems like a sweet lesson about kindness and sharing. But beneath it, there’s something uncomfortable — the quiet reinforcement of a familiar hierarchy. A subtle reminder of who is portrayed as the “giver” and who must be the “receiver.”

After years of teaching here, I’ve seen how these narratives slip into children’s materials — not always with bad intent, but often with unexamined bias. These small stories teach big lessons, and not always the ones we hope for.

As an expat teacher, I’ve learned to choose my battles carefully. After so many years, some days I just don’t have the energy to challenge every stereotype. So I take a deep breath, remind myself that awareness starts in small conversations, and move forward.

If old lessons of superiority persist, then it’s our job to rewrite them — with awareness, empathy, and respect at the heart of every classroom.

If superiority is the story they insist on telling, I will insist and keep writing new ones — with empathy as the ink and awareness as the page.