Wise Charles Wise takes his work seriously. The director of the international student program at Amherst’s Park School visited Korea last summer to meet with the parents of his students and talk with them about the school and the students’ progress.

This summer, he returned to Korea on a fellowship from the Korea Foundation. He was one of 30 teachers from across America to be awarded the fellowship. The Korea Foundation’s purpose is to advance awareness, understanding and cooperation between Korea and the United States.

In the mornings, Wise attended classes at Korea University on the history, politics, culture, and economy of Korea. Afterwards, the group visited historic and cultural sites. They traveled to the Demilitarized Zone and through the peninsula, central and southern parts of Korea. In the evenings, they attended events such as dances and musical performances, although as Wise recalled, “They threw in a ball game every now and then.”

“I enjoyed getting to meet the people of Korea and see what life is actually like in that country. It’s a very vibrant, dynamic society, very technologically advanced,” Wise said. Since so many of Park’s international students are from Korea, they already teach about Korea quite a bit. But Wise plans to encourage teachers at Park to incorporate even more about Korea into their curricula, especially since Korea is one of America’s major trading partners. He also plans to take students to China this year as part of Park’s Immersion Program. “In today’s day and age, where it’s happening is in Asia. These students are going to be competing with these people in the future, and to compete with someone, you have to understand them,” Wise said. “Whether we like it or not, it’s going to be the Asian century.”