Traveling the world of books with children
Mison Gong reads books to children
Writer Kim Ji-suk
Photographer Jang Hyeon-seon
Misun Gong dedicates her time to read books to children and helps mothers and children to connect and relate to each other through books.
As she continues to serve for better life of not only herself and people in her neighborhood but also the community as a whole, she feels greater sense of accomplishment and reward.
Gong sat down for an interview with a smile that radiated from deep in her soul.
It’s 4 o’clock in the afternoon at the annex of Seonhakdong Community Center, and 5 to 6 young children and their mothers are hurdled comfortably at one corner of the room.
Their eyes and ears are riveted to Misun Gong (age 45) in front of them who is captivating her audience
with her storytelling.
Her expert use of onomatopoetic words make the characters she explains come alive, and children intently follow her story page by page with eyes full of curiosity. Junhyuk is a 4-year-old boy who always has plenty of questions.
Since attending the program (Play and make friends with books), he has begun to enjoy reading books and Gong is now one of his favorite people.
Junhyuk’s mother is Eunjung Kim (Yeonsu-dong resident) and she said she was also very happy with the program by saying, “There are not a lot of programs 4-year-old kids can participate and enjoy.
But this program is great, because it helps kids interact and play with other kids through books. I myself have learned a lot about reading books to kids and playing with books, which I can practice at home with my son.”
Gong is a married mother of 3 children: 5th and 3rd graders and 6 –years-old. She was a stay-athome mother for almost 10 years since her marriage, and it was her 2nd child’s aversion to books that got her interested in the field. 3 years ago, she decided to take a ‘Book reading volunteer’ course offered by Yeonsu-gu followed by more training that included advanced course and field training. She has now become a seasoned veteran who reads to young children.
“When I became very busy, one of my children asked me, ‘Mom, what made you become a teacher who reads books to children?’” recalled Gong. “’I wanted to do this because I wanted to read books to you better. Thanks to you, now I’m busy reading books to many other children,’ was my answer, but it got me to contemplate my identity as a specialist in this field.” Gong says she learned what it really meant to “play” with children from reading books to them and researching for appropriate plays for each book’s theme. Through the process, she also discovered another side of her with talents she didn’t know she had.
“I have to admit that it is probably me who benefited the most from my book reading commitment.
Being introverted, I used to feel depressed cooped up in my house all day with three kids and doing the
same household chores that didn’t seem to make any difference. But an acquaintance I recently studied
together told me that ‘You looked like you were carrying all the weight of the world on your shoulder when I first met you, but now smile never leaves your face.’,” Gong chuckled.
Books can be a medium where minds are communicated Instead of using books to teach and educate children, Gong hopes mothers embrace books as a medium through which they can communicate with and reach out to children without any agenda.
That’s why she hesitates to label her as a book reading instructor and prefers to be recognized as an aid
who helps children make friends with books.
“I try to make children feel as comfortable with me as they would be as if it was their mother reading to them. Luckily for me, I happen to find the children’s books charming and enjoy the unpredictability in the
children’s reaction. It gives me great sense of achievement and reward,” said Gong.
It is not just children to whom she reaches out; she tries to relate to children’s mothers as well and engage in many discussions with them. It is natural for mothers who have questions and insecurities about raising children, and she works together with mothers in trying to find better ways to spend time with children using books. In such occasions, Gong never forgets to share the following piece of wisdom:“Don’t preoccupy yourself with reading more books to your children.
Even if you read just one book to your child, what is important is for you to relate to them eye to eye and try to read their mind. That’s how you can help your child enjoy reading books and maintain a good communication.”
