School 2013

         Today, we're going to be talking about School 2013 (which is also known as  School 5 as it is an update to "School Series" which aired from 1999 to 2002. This drama was pretty interesting as it showed what the life of students were like. People said that this was very similar to what actually happened in schools in Korea and of course, there are other schools that can relate to this drama also. People have had different opinions on this drama. Some people liked it and recommended it to me and others said that they didn't like it. So I figured that I should check it out and decide for myself (and it is what I suggest for the other dramas because just because someone else doesn't like it doesn't mean you won't). When I watched the first few episodes, I was shocked by how bad some of the kids were in terms of bullying students and the teacher. Anyways, here is a synopsis and if it interests you, you can take a look at it.

Synopsis:

       This drama portrays realistic issues, struggles, and dilemmas of the young people today in school. It takes place at Seungri High School. It is mainly about the teenagers and the struggles they have to deal with in and out of class. I actually really liked the different characters of the students because it showed the diversity of the class and how they are all different. It also showed how difficult some students were. The actors and actresses did a great job.

         Seungri High School ranks as one of the worst of 178 high schools in Seoul based on academic scores. Jung In Jae (Jang Nara) begins her career as a teacher here. Se Chan (Daniel Choi) also starts to work at this high school and as the top Korean language teacher at a famous institute in Gangnam. Class 2 is at the bottom of the grade (2) at Seungri High and that was the reason why they hired Se Chan, in hopes of improving the scores of the students. Jung In Jae was supposed to leave and Se Chan becomes the homeroom teacher of the class, however, unable to leave her students and thinking she should still stay with them and help them go through their teenage years, she stays. In Jae and Se Chan begin working together as homeroom teachers as they try to bring the scores up as well as help the students. 

         The teenager that we mainly follow is Nam Soo. Nam Soo ends up being the class president of grade 2. He had problems with Jung Ho who is a gang member and yet Jung Ho was the one who made Nam Soo the class president. However, becoming class president still brings on problems as Jung Ho continues to bother Nam Soo. Nam  Soo also does whatever is possible to keep Jung Ho from bothering Jung In Jae, the teacher, as most teachers abandoned this class as they found it difficult. 

        Not only does this drama revolve around the lives and the struggles the adults have to go through in helping these kids but also the lives of the students. The students also have a lot going on in their lives and the different friends they make and so forth. School 2013 show how teachers and students grow up and mature through the conflicts and compromises that occur in their lives.