It is not recently that star teachers have received such attention in the land of kimchi.
In the 90s, a famous cram school named Hongik Hagwon in Gangnam, where instructor Kim Sam Ryong was both hated and sought following for his teaching style. During class, Kim often writes on the board 5 problems from previous exams of high schools around Gangnam, calling several students in a room of more than 100 students to come up with solutions.
Whoever gets it wrong will be hit on the butt with a wooden stick in front of the class. Kim also used to throw pieces of chalk at the blackboard, scream the importance of an issue, spit, and scratch her head in anger.
However, Kim’s classes are always full thanks to rumors that Kim has helped some poor students pass Seoul National University.
Pressure
Koreans have been hunting for famous teachers since the 60s when there was a junior high school entrance exam.
From the late 60s to the 70s, private tutoring became a popular trend. It is not uncommon for stories to spread regarding mothers selling gold rings to have money to hire good tutors, supplementing tutors to have the strength to teach their children.
After out-of-school tutoring was banned in 1980, the private education craze subsided for several years until illegal tutoring emerged. Central tutors were allowed to teach during school breaks since 1989 and the ban on tutoring was lifted in 2000.
“The tutors and instructors were likened to ‘tweezers’ because their talent for picking out the questions that would appear in the tests flourished in the 70s and 80s. Many people queued since early morning to sign up. classes of famous academy teachers in the 90s. So demand is always there, but not everyone can afford it for financial or geographical reasons,” said Huh Yeol, professor of educational technology. at the University of Kennesaw, commented.
“Then, the Internet and online courses appeared in the 2000s, removing economic and geographical barriers, while meeting potential demand, leading to the explosive growth of the online lecture market. line”.
| Having many advantages, tutors also face great pressure. Illustration: Korea Times. |
According to the professor, online courses also benefit central teachers when they are not bound by space and time, bringing economic benefits.
However, this type of education also has many shortcomings. In many films, there have been stories of mothers conspiring to bring down high-scoring students to put their children in a quality exam preparation class; The story of stressed, tired kids stuck in cram school late into the night, to the point of becoming petty thieves or lying to relieve themselves is a reflection of reality.
And it’s not just the kids who are under great pressure. The star teacher Choi in Crash Course in Romance He also suffers from an eating disorder caused by overwork and stress.
However, the “ilta” instructors are still an inspiration for many Koreans to dream of becoming a YouTube star or academia, just like K-pop stars are to children.
For example, Lee Ji-young is well known for her positivity, courage, and how she achieved success growing up in poverty. Many people commented that they cried when they heard and received encouragement and help to overcome difficulties.
“Weekends are the busiest. I give lectures even during the Lunar New Year holiday. I have 3.5 million students,” Lee said in a recent YouTube interview.
