I like students having this sense of freedom in dictating how they are exemplifying their knowledge.

Jae Hyung Kim

By Annette Aucamp

In this day and age, it is increasingly common for students to feel a disconnect from their teachers. It has become almost routine for students to feel as though their teachers don’t have a personal stake in their education. Rather, students feel as if they are just a number on the roster, especially at a large school like Granada Hills Charter. 

History teacher Jae Hyung Kim approaches teaching his students differently. Kim’s main goal in his classroom environment is to have an atmosphere that lifts up and encourages students to be the best that they can be. His policy as a teacher is to treat his students as humans first and students second so that he can establish a relationship and trust between himself and his students. 

“It comes down to allowing students to thrive in an environment where they feel like they are allowed to share opinions and are open and willing to discuss,” Kim said.

Kim cultivated his own collaborative and innovative teaching style from veteran teachers and his experiences in a teaching program at Cal Lutheran University.  

In some cases during his education, Kim felt as though he did the work for classes but didn’t get a sense of enjoyment or fulfillment while doing the assignment. Because of this, he believes that there should be a balance between giving students an education and integrating creativity and collaboration with other students.

“I’m a younger teacher, and I choose to teach in the way that I felt I best learned when I was a student, both in college and in high school,” Kim said. 

After studying economics and history in college, Kim decided to teach because he realized that he was always happiest in an academic and educational setting. He feels as though his charisma and his personality are best suited for the classroom. 

Kim puts in the time and effort to understand his students because he considers it one of the most rewarding parts of teaching making meaningful connections and bonds with students. 

Being a teacher, Kim does face many obstacles, however. Working with so many different personalities, it can be a challenge to make a cohesive classroom and also make sure that all of his students work to the best of their capabilities. 

Despite these challenges, his passion for education shines through in everything he does to push and shape his students into people who will succeed in the future. 

“I want them to understand what success tastes like,” Kim said. “Especially for students who struggle, once they see that A or that B in the class, they realize they can do it. That’s what I try to do as a teacher because I want them to understand that they can succeed in any classroom.”

Outside of being a history teacher, Kim has many hobbies and interests. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and reading books about business and finance. He also grew up playing baseball and learning four instruments: guitar, drums, alto saxophone, and the piano. These skills and interests give him just one more way to be able to relate and connect with his students.

All in all, Kim teaches his students in a way that fosters a teacher-student relationship in order to help students feel as though they can trust and rely on him to help them grow as students. He creates an understanding and non-judgemental atmosphere that ultimately makes students see his classroom as a safe space. 

Kim is the kind of teacher that makes higher education not seem so unattainable and intimidating, the kind of teacher that students can look back on and be thankful for.