and he's an English teacher.
Kim Ki-Hoon
CBS News
Forty-four-year-oldKim Ki-Hoon is a private tutor who is thriving in South Korea'stest-score-obsessed, academic-crazed culture. Kim teaches in a"hagwon," or "cram school," part of the $17 billionafter-school learning industry.
CBS
News was with Kim at the school on a Saturday afternoon; he says studying on
weekends is typical.
Kim
appears on TV shows featuring "star teachers." His students say his
teaching is more engaging -- and practical -- than most. And to show his human --
almost geeky -- side, he'll bust out the guitar.
"I
was https://penzu.com/p/d0fdf25a inspired about his lectures," says 22-year-old Seung Jun-Yang. Seung
says a typical school day starts at 7 a.m. and kept him studying past 1 a.m.
While an international educational poll ranks Korean students at the top for academics, they're at the bottom for happiness.
CBS News
Studentscheer on classmates before big exams, in this country where more than 70percent of kids go to college. Competition is so fierce that parents can beseen praying for their kids' success.
But
when asked what the long hours of schooling mean for students, Seung says,
"Personally, I think, depression time."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGekKM2mTrA
Kim
agreed.
"I'm
not actually proud of my success," he says. "The other side of the coin
is the inefficiency of Korean education."
Seung Jun-Yang
CBS News
Kimsays students spend too much time studying the wrong way -- learning lessons byrote that don't apply to real life.
While
an international educational poll ranks Korean students at the top for academics,
they're at the bottom for happiness. Kim is trying to change that.
"This
is my favorite place to be, and I am happiest when I'm teaching," he says.
If
we had to guess, going to the bank isnt too bad, either.
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