I live in South Korea. I wake up at 6am every morning, have breakfast, dress up and cycle to school at around 7:30 am. Classes begin at 8 am, and we're done for school at about 4 pm, where we have a 15 minute break for lunch. Then, I take a bus to the local hagwon(private tuition) where I have classes from 6 pm-8 pm. I then return back to school for self study at 9 pm, after an hour's break during which I have lunch.    I then study at school from 9 pm to 10:15 pm, and reach back home at around 11. I'm usually too tired to study anything by now, so I go to sleep without changing out of my school uniform which I've been wearing the whole day long. I wake up at 6 the next morning, change from one uniform to another, and repeat.

Life is hectic. It's very difficult sometimes, but I'm academically fine. I sometimes think that the results are worth it. Although, most nights I find it difficult to find the motivation to carry on. I have above average levels of stress(self diagnosed, but I doubt a physician would disagree), and a growing distaste to our education system. But who knows if it will pay off in the end? I only hope it does.

My typical school day includes arriving at school at around 7: 00 am. I will pass through a uniform check station, monitored by a building level leader to ensure I am in full uniform. Then, at 7:15 am, I and my friends put away our backpacks and coats and collect all materials needed for the day. We then report to homeroom during which the teacher takes attendance, reiterates the morning message, reviews other pertinent daily information with the students and gives them the opportunity to mentally prepare for the day. All classes will begin with a Do Now, move into an engaging Lesson Opener and progress through Direct Instruction, Guided Practice, and Independent Practice until reaching the Exit Slip, which serves as an immediate assessment of the lesson objective. Students will be expected to work hard and showcase a “do whatever it takes” mentality when approaching their work. Throughout the day, students have 4 classes that each last 90 minutes. In total, the students are simultaneously taking 13 courses each semester. At 12 o'clock, we finish our last lecture and then go back home. In the afternoon, we often go to extra classes 3 times a week.