Latest / Take1.5 Podcast: Stories from the Messy In-between / How to Stand Out and Get Into Private Boarding School 보딩스쿨 합격생들은 뭐가 달랐을까

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How to Stand Out and Get Into Private Boarding School 보딩스쿨 합격생들은 뭐가 달랐을까 · Take1.5 Podcast: Stories from the Messy In-between

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If you're going to go to private and boarding school, you have to
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be a certain type of kid. There were a few cases where I
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said I don't think your kid is a good fit.
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You're going to go to private and boarding school, especially
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boarding school. You have to be a very
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independent person who knows how to advocate for yourself.
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But if your mom has been helping you all along throughout your
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journey and while you're talking to me, you can't even talk to me
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directly, I don't think that's for you.
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So I know I do tell them straight up.
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Well, hi everyone, My name is Rachel.
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I am currently teaching math in Boston.
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It's been about 10 years now as well.
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So I'm a teacher and I'm also a founder and academic consultant
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for my own company, Edupath Boston.
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We are a consulting firm where we help students to get into
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private and boarding schools, especially for middle and high
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school students. You know, math was my worst
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subject. Yeah.
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I mean, it's actually interesting that you see them
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because growing up I knew that I wanted to be a teacher.
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My parents were actually really against it.
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And my mom said if you're going to be a teacher and you're an
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age in American, you're Korean American, you have two options.
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It's either math or science. She said that as a parent, they
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would probably not be happy learning English from you or
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history from you. So I think that actually kind of
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get got me started. OK, It's either math or science.
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That's funny, your mom was a is a realist, huh?
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Yes, yes. Either that or you don't become
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a teacher. So I was like, OK, I guess why?
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Why? Were they so against it?
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I don't know. I was, I guess I don't know if
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they're very like the traditional Korean minded
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parents. And I think from my parents
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perspective, I mean, because I moved here in 4th grade, they
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were like, nobody wants to learn English from a teacher who
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immigrated to America in 4th grade.
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Now, like, yeah, you know what, you might be right.
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Yeah. So it ended up that I.
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Became a math teacher. Do you enjoy teaching math?
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I do. I actually love it a lot.
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I'm so glad that I became a math teacher.
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I mean, it's a subject that I do love, so I really enjoyed
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teaching it. But I feel like math is so
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different from how we learned it back then.
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I think that most of the times, like if you think about how we
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learned it, it was a lot of like memorization, like like Koreans
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memorize like Kukudan and I did the same thing.
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But I think now like we use a lot of something called like, so
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it's a lot of like hands on activities.
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It's when people think about math, they think, OK, you just
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sit there and do worksheets. But it's never like that.
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We do a lot of activities. We do a lot of games and math is
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a subject that has a lot of like discussions too.
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So I really enjoy it. I see a lot.
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I think math is also subject where you can see a lot of
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growth, like right away. Whereas English, it might take a
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while for students to really, really grow in their skills and
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really improve. But math is a subject, if they
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get it, they really get it and they show the skills and the
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score show right away. So I think I really enjoy it for
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that reason. I think I would find it more
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interesting if I was taught that way.
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Yeah, Yeah, I think so too. So for example, like the other
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day I was teaching exponents, for example, if the question is
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2 to the third power, I never really taught students how to do
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it. But then I just wrote 2 * 2 * 2
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on the board. And then I said, wait, guys,
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like, imagine if you're mathematicians or scientists and
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you have to write these numbers. Doesn't really make sense for
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you to always write 2 * 2 * 2. Do you think that maybe there's
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a better way? And the students were like, oh,
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maybe you can write like 2 and a three.
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And I was like, yeah, but if we write it like 2 out of three,
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now that's going to be 23. And they're like, oh, what if we
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write 2 and then three in a different format?
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And then I introduce exponents. And then now it kind of like
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clicks with them. Oh, exponents actually means
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repetitive multiplication. And that actually means 2 * 2 *
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2. So I think that's like way that
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we teach math now where we don't really tell them right away, but
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they kind of come up with it and they think of different ways
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like, oh, like maybe this would be an easy way for people
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calculate, or this is an easier way for people to communicate.
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So they feel like math isn't something that you just do on
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the worksheet, but it's like a real life thing that they need
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to learn and they can actually not apply to their lives.
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Yeah. Wow, that is so cool.
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Really. You know, for someone who
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learned math? Both for my husband and I, we
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memorized everything, formulized everything, right?
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So when our kids were going through school, even back then,
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it was different than what we learned, right?
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So it was so hard for us to like, help them.
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Right. You know, like, wow, what do you
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mean? Just do it in your head?
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Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because you probably learned a
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little bit of the old ways, like do you have to relearn and
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unlearn and relearn? Oh, yeah, for sure.
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Especially long division, how we learned it and how they learn it
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now is so, so, so different. So that was actually one of the
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obstacles that I had. I was like, wait, what is this
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method? When I went to grad school, I
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had to relearn the whole method all over again.
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So I would do it my way and then I would do it the new way and
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then I would check the answers to make sure the planes was
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correct. But yeah, now things are so
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different. But it's funny that you because
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I always tell my students, if you have a question, please
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don't ask your parents. Ask me instead.
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They go home and they learn the other method.
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And now they come to school and they're like, wait, that's not
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what my mom told me, right? It's so hard for me to say like,
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oh, your mom is wrong. I have to say oh right.
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Like mom learned the traditional way.
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Like we have to learn this way. And a lot of parents are like,
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wait, why do they have to learn this new way?
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And it totally makes sense because it does seem like the
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older way is easier, but the newer way, the reason why we do
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it is because it really builds that number sense, whereas the
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older way was more like the memorization.
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So your way really helps them to help them to understand that
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like the placement values and really understand what numbers
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are. So it really helps them in the
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long run. Oh well, I see.
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So what advice do you give to your parents?
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The students parents. So I always say, please e-mail
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me if you get really stuck up. Please don't teach them the
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older way. And now thankfully there's a lot
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of like resources out there. Like YouTube has a lot of great
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tutorial videos. So instead of you actually
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trying to teach them, please write the topic on the YouTube
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search engine and let them watch that video instead.
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Like that's so much more helpful for them.
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But yeah, I always tell them please use those resources
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instead of teaching them the older way.
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That's really funny. Yeah, I see.
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So we think we, us parents, think we're doing a favor, you
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know, by teaching them. I remember.
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Something they are but I get stressed too.
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They always e-mail me like I learned this new method and
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still doesn't make sense. Doesn't make sense exactly.
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I remember my my oldest is like 31 or 32.
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You know, I try to teach her and then like we both get confused
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so my husband's and he'll be like, Oh no, don't do it that
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way, but people get them pop on. You know we.
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Yeah, no first year or first year.
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I think Koreans still learn the standard algorithm.
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Do they they learn the way that we.
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That's really interesting. Yeah.
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Yeah. Huh.
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Because you know, like the this, the saying is that Korean kids
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come to the US, to the States and they're like, oh, we could
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ace math anytime. But I don't know if that's true
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because, you know, I mean, if they learn it differently, then
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I mean they might get the right answer, but the process so
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different. So that's the interesting thing.
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So we do teach it in that way in elementary school and usually
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lower middle school, but we actually go back to the standard
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algorithm way. It's eventually and starting
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like the middle of like 7th grade and even 6.
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Great. That's one of the things that we
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do. We do go back to the traditional
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way. Again, the reason why we
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introduce it that way in elementary school is to really
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build that number sense. And starting in middle school,
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we just assume, OK, you have that number sense.
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And now by using those skills, you need to solve better
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problems. Like if you're gonna factor like
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now you can't really do that anymore.
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You need to do that more like quick and efficient way.
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So it is kind of true that Koreans come here and they do
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very, very well when it comes to equation or like number
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questions. They do struggle more with like
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word problems. Oh yeah.
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But I have like, Korean immigrant students every year
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pretty much. And they do great in math.
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Yeah. Yeah, good.
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Good for them. Yeah, it's the the demographic
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of the school that you're at pretty balanced.
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Or is it more Caucasian? What's the population?
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So I love my school for that reason.
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It's actually 85%, I would say white and like the rest is
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Asian. So it's a very interesting town.
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It's either Asian, pretty much. There's barely like any other
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type of ethnicities, but yeah. So 85% white and 15% pretty much
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Asian or 14% and 1% other, yeah. Where's everybody else?
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But I think my town is very unique in that way, and I think
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that's what Trat like Trat drove me to work for this town, and
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that's why I wanted to work here as an Asian teacher.
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And I'm actually the only Asian teacher in my school other than
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the Mandarin teacher and my principal, Yeah.
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Your principal is Asian. Yeah, he's Chinese.
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Yeah, nice. So do you really see there's a
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difference, not only the students, but with the parents
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as well, how they approach education?
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In terms of. Like everything, like how the
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homework, the projects, how they talk to the teachers, you know,
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expectations. So I before this, I used to work
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for like a town that wasn't where the academic wasn't so
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rigorous and they had a little bit of a lower school rating.
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Whereas this town is one of the most like well known towns in
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Massachusetts and it's one of the most like rigorous towns and
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it's always an academically top 10 all the time listed.
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So I would say in this town especially the parents are very,
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they have high standards. So the way that they approach
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the teachers is very different. The way that they approach like
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the academics and just the extracurricular, I feel like
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it's just above and yeah, it's just very different.
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I don't know if that answered your question.
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Because that's always kind of interesting for me, you know,
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those scores, does that really make a difference?
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Like, you know, like Korean parents, we always want to put
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our kids in the top. School district, yeah, yeah,
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right. Yeah, I think it does make a
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difference. I think that the the way that
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school approaches things is very different.
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The way that the school supports students is very different.
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The fact if the town is doing well, then that means that the
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administrators are going above and beyond to really support the
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individual needs. And that's why that town is
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doing well on like state tests and different things.
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But also more than that, I think it's more like the way that
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students motivate each other. I think that's the biggest
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thing, like when you surround yourself with the students who
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are also like, oh, like I have this dream or I want to do this,
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I want to do that. I think that motivation really
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matters and they motivate each other.
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And I think that's why students want to be in those like, great
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towns. And I feel like that's the
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biggest difference that I've seen between the two districts
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that I worked. On SO, the drive and the
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support. Yeah, for sure.
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And yeah, the environment. Involvement from the parents is
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actually really different too. Whereas the other town, the
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teachers, whenever they needed something, it was really hard to
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get the funding for it or it was really hard to get the material.
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So a lot of the times it was like out of my own pocket.
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It was more like I had to figure it out.
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Whereas like in a town like this, I think it's very, hey,
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just say it and we'll give it to you kind of thing.
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And the parents actually had a meeting with us recently where
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OK, like there are these type of activities for history, there
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are these type of activities for science or in math, like outside
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of school. And there are these type of
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events like you guys just tell us and we'll plan it and we'll
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take the kids. So the parents are very involved
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and the parents want their kids to be successful.
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So they are trying their best to make that happen.
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And that support really helps the school and the teachers, and
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I think that's what makes the ranking great as well.
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Yeah. I see I see So does it start in
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middle school or cuz I know high school?
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When you get to high school, the disparity between the top
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students and the every student, let's say, is huge in support in
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classes and you know everything. Do you see that in middle
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school? Yeah for sure.
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So in my school for math, especially after 6th grade, you
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actually get divided into 3 different levels.
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So after 6th grade math you can either go into advanced algebra
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or algebra or pre algebra. So I mean, being in this town,
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everyone wants to be in advanced algebra, but I, and it's so hard
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cuz I'm the teacher that has to break the news.
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Like sorry, like you're gonna not gonna go into advanced
13:46
algebra. And then all I feel like
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sometimes I make a joke with my teacher friends that I feel like
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the Harvard admission officer cuz I'm like, say, tell the
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first, the first time that all right, click, that's not in it.
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But I feel like the disparity definitely happens in 7th grade.
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And that's something that actually I don't like about my
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school, and I make that very clear.
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I feel like it's too early for our 7th graders to feel that
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already, and it's too early for them to decide where you go in
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math levels. Yeah.
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Yeah, you know, I have 4 kids and they're all grown.
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Yeah. Yeah.
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So I have some who are were advanced students and who are
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average student. Yeah.
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So I've been, I've been in both shoes of the parents, right.
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Yeah. So for the advanced kid,
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everything's great, you know, like there's nothing to worry
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about, right. The school make sure they're in
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the right classes, right. You know, right support, right
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extra curricular, you know, whatever opportunities come very
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easily. Yeah, but for the average or
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below average each child, it really didn't really make a
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whole lot of difference between the top district school.
14:53
You know what? I mean, yeah.
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Yeah. No, I, I definitely know what
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you mean. I feel like the, that the top
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district sometimes tend to focus on the advance and the honor
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students and they get more opportunities as in like there's
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more AP classes for them and there's more like things that
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they can do and there's more like extra activities.
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So I definitely see what you mean by that.
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Yeah. You started this new company.
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Tell me about that. What?
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What? What do you do?
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So it's called Edu Path Boston. So I've been doing math tutoring
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on the side ever since I started teaching.
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So that's been an ongoing thing. So I've been kind of like active
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on Instagram and always sharing tips with the Korean parents in
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Korean. Even though my Korean's not that
15:40
great, I try my best to share it in Korean because I feel like
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growing up, my mom really struggled with the limited
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resources. So I felt like I had to go out
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of my own way because I'm a touch it that.
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So I felt like I had to figure things out of my for myself and
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my brother, my younger brother, he actually went to I tell him,
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you went to better college than me because I helped you and I
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paved the way for you. I always make a joke with him
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about that, but I feel like the parents are always so limited
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but and that like really limits for the opportunities for the
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students as well. They have the potential, but
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it's just that parents don't know how to help them and
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support them. And I saw that a lot while I was
16:21
math tutoring, especially with the Korean parents and I do.
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And I did a lot of like consulting over the phone, the
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ones that I tutor and they would actually express similar
16:30
concerns like something like, I don't know how to help them.
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Something like, can you help me with extracurricular activities?
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And then one thing that I saw was they all wanted to kind of
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send them to private and boarding schools, but they just
16:44
didn't know where to start. And also a lot of the programs
16:47
are very, very expensive. But as a teacher in one of the
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top districts, I was, I've been writing recommendations all
16:55
along. So I thought, wait, why are you
16:59
going to them and why are you doing this when that's actually
17:02
not right? So I was like, wait, maybe I can
17:04
help them out. So that kind of got my brain
17:06
thinking and then and I ended up launching this business to
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really help out the Korean parents.
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So I'm only helping the Korean parents at this point.
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And I just helped them with the IS CE s s 80, which is a
17:20
standardized test for the prep schools.
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And then I helped them with the interview process, but also
17:25
school searching because there's so many choices out there.
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So how to find the right fit in terms of which school is right
17:31
for them. And then I help them with like
17:34
the curriculum and how to choose the correct courses and things
17:37
like that. Well wow, so you do hand holding
17:40
almost. Yeah, yeah, that's fine.
17:42
Yeah. So before I actually came to
17:44
Korean community, I wanted to really build my skills.
17:47
But part of me was so scared to start with the Korean community
17:52
because Korean community is very small.
17:55
So part of me was like, what if I started here and then I'm not
18:00
able to send the kids to their dream school?
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Then my reputation is going to be ruined.
18:05
So actually past two years I've been helping the close the
18:09
students nearby my town, not my current students, but in other
18:12
towns. So I've built my reputation
18:14
there and I've built my specs and how to really run this
18:17
business. And then now I'm starting with
18:19
the Korean parents. Oh wow, are you, you mean like
18:22
Korean Korean people parents? No, like the Korean in the
18:25
Korean community. Korean American.
18:28
Yeah, OK. Yeah.
18:29
Cool. So really, there's that much
18:32
interest in. Sending their kids a lot of
18:35
interest, which really surprised me too.
18:39
Yeah. What makes a parent want to send
18:43
their kids to a private boarding school rather than a public
18:48
school in in the top school district?
18:52
I think private boarding school, there is more opportunities and
19:00
I think parents believe that. So I think that a lot of them
19:03
gravitate tours private boarding schools.
19:06
And also, I think a lot of parents think, OK, we don't have
19:09
to go, but why don't we give it a try kind of thing.
19:12
So is it true that there's more opportunities?
19:16
I think it depends on the students.
19:18
If you're going to go to private and boarding school, you have to
19:20
be a certain type of kid. I actually there were a few
19:24
cases where I said I don't think your kid is a good fit.
19:28
Because if you're going to go to private and boarding school,
19:30
especially boarding school, you have to be a very independent
19:32
person who knows how to advocate for yourself.
19:35
But if your mom has been helping you all along throughout your
19:38
journey and while you're talking to me, you can't even talk to me
19:41
directly or even because there is a question in there that I
19:44
asked them when I first meet them.
19:45
And if you can't really to answer those questions for me, I
19:48
don't think that's for you. So I do tell them straight up
19:51
and public school, you still have good chances.
19:53
Like just because you go to private and boarding, that
19:56
doesn't mean that you're going to get into Ivy League.
19:58
Sometimes it's more challenging because those schools are
20:00
competitive. So that means that everyone
20:02
there is probably really, really smart.
20:04
So you have to stand out amongst those peers.
20:07
But it is true that I can say that there are more
20:10
opportunities in private and boarding, for example like.
20:15
In private and boarding, if you go, if you pass the placement
20:18
test and you can take precalculus as a 9th grader,
20:22
which is pretty much unheard of in any public schools.
20:25
Yeah. So in terms of that, there are
20:27
more opportunities, which means that by the time you get into
20:31
like 11th and 12th grade, you can really take those college
20:34
courses that can make you stand out.
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But again, you have to go to the right school.
20:39
And I think that's something that I emphasize to parents and
20:42
that's something that I've been helping them with.
20:44
So this summer, my goal is to actually visit those schools
20:48
myself and meet with different people and different admission
20:51
officers to really get to know those schools in person.
20:55
So tomorrow I'm actually visiting Phillips Exeter, so
20:59
hopefully I can have more great information for Korean parents
21:02
and great insights. Nice.
21:05
What makes a good candidate for this?
21:08
Boarding private schools. Someone who is ambitious,
21:13
someone who is independent, someone who actually wants to
21:17
go. So if your parents wants to go,
21:19
you get to go. That's probably not a great
21:21
idea. It's something that you would
21:24
want to do and you should have a clear reason as in why you want
21:28
to go. Like for example, you don't want
21:31
to be in public school anymore because you don't like that the
21:34
school sizes are so big and you would rather be in a smaller
21:37
knit community where you can really thrive and where you
21:41
where it's more based on discussion and not like taking
21:45
tests. I don't know, maybe the private
21:46
school and boarding school that you're looking into is more
21:48
project based. If you have that clear reason as
21:52
and why, then you would be a good candidate where But if
21:55
you're just like, hey, like if I get into that school, I heard
21:58
that top 30% goes to Ivy League and that's why I want to go.
22:01
I would say you're not a good candidate at all.
22:05
Interesting because I mean knowing the kids I would think
22:11
the latter would be bigger group than the first group.
22:14
Yes, and I think the admission officers are very good at
22:17
spotting that through essays and through interviews.
22:21
And I think that's why private schools do those things.
22:24
So if you think about it logically, private school grades
22:30
are based on your, I don't know the previous two grades, so
22:33
maybe 678 if you're applying for high school.
22:35
Most of the Korean students have an easy time getting an A during
22:39
the week. So grades are very like similar,
22:43
like same thing. Like it's not like it's really
22:46
hard to stand out because of grades per SE, because everyone
22:50
that's applying is probably going to have straight A's or is
22:54
probably going to be the 95th percentile for SSAT or ISCE.
22:59
So it's those interviews and it's those essays that really
23:03
matter. And you need to really show
23:05
yourself that, OK, this is a school that I really want to go
23:07
to and I really want to get into this private or boarding school.
23:10
And admission officers are really, really good at spotting
23:13
that. So that's what's really, really
23:14
important. But I feel like Korean parents
23:17
really focus only on the grade, especially just the standardized
23:20
test that they're like, like, as long as we get this grade, we
23:23
can get in. But there's so much more beyond
23:26
that. You really need to look at the
23:28
holistic point, not just, like, one thing.
23:31
Yeah. So that's something that a lot
23:33
of Korean parents do miss. Yeah, so it's like almost like
23:36
getting into college. Yeah, kind of, But I would say
23:39
it's a little bit harder as in the grades are so same, whereas
23:43
like in 9th, 10th and 11th and 12th, you're gonna get some B's,
23:46
you're gonna get some C So like the it's hard easier to tell
23:49
like who really stands out when academics, but 6-7 and eight,
23:53
I'm sure you've experienced it with your kids too.
23:55
It's so similar like everyone gets like either A's or B's.
24:00
Nobody really, I don't know, gets these are F in 6th, 7, and
24:03
8th grade. So the grades are very similar.
24:05
So it's really, really hard to stand out.
24:07
So that's why it's really important that you focus on
24:10
those not just in school, but outside of school settings to
24:13
like extracurriculars as well. Yeah, that sounds so intense for
24:17
6th, 7th graders. Yeah, I guess you really have to
24:20
want it. It is.
24:21
Yeah. I'm.
24:23
I'm a parent. Let's say I come to you, Miss.
24:29
Can you coach us through this process?
24:32
What do you do? Where do we start and how?
24:34
What kind of process do you go through?
24:36
Yeah, so we would go through questionnaire together and then
24:39
we would talk about why they want to go to private school and
24:41
then we would try to find what's really good fit for them.
24:44
I think that's where I spend majority of my time with the
24:47
student, because students don't really know the schools yet.
24:51
They just come and they all want to go to Phillips Exeter.
24:53
Exeter and they just save those like top schools and they think
24:57
that that's it. But there's so many schools,
25:00
like even in the New England area, I would say there's like
25:03
so many. So we talked about who you are
25:06
and what is the right fit for you.
25:09
So the first few sessions, more than the academic itself, we
25:12
really talk about who that person is, who you are and why
25:15
you want to go to private school and what are some things that
25:17
you are interested in. For example, if you're really
25:20
interested in the hockey, but the school doesn't have the
25:22
hockey program, you should not be going to that school.
25:25
So those are the things that we go through and then we come up
25:28
with the list and then we do 1 by 1, like, and then we talk
25:31
about your grades. We talk about the standardized
25:33
test. And then as it moves on, we talk
25:36
about like how your interview is going to go, your essay and then
25:40
your extracurricular activity as well.
25:42
Extracurricular activity is something that we really focus
25:44
on too. That's when you can really show
25:47
yourself and show your character and who you are to these
25:50
admission officers. So how can you really stand
25:53
that? I know that in college, a lot of
25:55
like college admission process, they call it like passion
25:58
project. And to be honest, that's 6th and
26:02
7th and 8th graders. You can't really do a passion
26:05
project to stand up. It's you're still young.
26:07
A lot of people come and they're like, wait, do I have to do a
26:10
research? I'm like, no, nobody wants a 7th
26:12
grader doing research on leukemia with a doctor.
26:15
No, that's not what they want. They don't even believe that.
26:18
Like they don't want to see that.
26:19
But what can you do? Like how can you show that you
26:22
have these like leadership skills and what can you really
26:25
bring to this school? Like what can you bring to the
26:27
school that the school needs? So those are the some things
26:30
that we can talk about. So it's a lot of talking, but I
26:32
definitely guide them through step by step process.
26:35
And some schools actually have parent interviews too.
26:38
So in that way I do talk to the parents and I guide them in that
26:43
process as well. So I'm curious, so your your
26:48
clients, the Korean parents families, are they immigrant
26:52
families or? So a lot of the parents are
26:56
either they, there are few immigrant parents, but there are
27:01
also parents like me who came when they're, most of them like
27:04
came like in like high school. So they're pretty good at
27:07
English, I would say. But it's more like they don't
27:10
know the education system because they came in high
27:13
school. So it's that they didn't go
27:15
through those, like, younger years here or they just want to
27:17
learn because it changed so much and they want to be helpful to
27:21
their kid. Yeah.
27:24
So they're 1.5 generation. Yeah, there's a lot of them.
27:27
Yeah. I think there's more and more
27:29
these days, even the kids that I tutor, a lot of the parents.
27:33
So I usually do a report for them once a month.
27:35
And I usually do like, English and then I translate it to
27:38
Korean. But then I've been getting,
27:40
like, emails from them all of a sudden thinking like, you don't
27:42
have to do Korean for me. I think they see my Korean and
27:45
they're like, oh, like you don't have to go out of your way to do
27:48
this to be like, OK, sounds good.
27:51
I see. So one thing I remember hearing
27:54
many years ago is that, you know, these kids, you know,
27:57
their parents drop them off in their private jets and and my
28:01
kid, you know, immigrant families, you know that we
28:04
definitely don't have that. But the child is smart and very
28:08
driven. So that was bigger struggle than
28:13
the academia. Do you see that or is that like
28:16
a myth? I think it's true.
28:21
I mean, there are if you go to like top boarding schools, like
28:23
there are going to be kids who are like super well off.
28:26
I'm super rich, but I think so the reason why I so I think I'm
28:32
very in in an interesting shoe that I'm a public school
28:35
teacher. I'm not a practice school
28:37
teacher who's helping to do this.
28:39
So I think sometimes parents are like, wait, like, why are you
28:42
doing this? Like you are a public school
28:45
teacher? And I am and I and I always tell
28:46
them I love public school and I think it's great.
28:49
But I said as I did more and more research about private
28:53
schools, I've seen first hand the opportunities that are given
28:56
to the students that are not in public school setting.
29:00
If you don't go to private school, that does mean that
29:01
you're not going to go to Ivy. I always tell that to parents
29:03
too. There are still great things in
29:05
public school. However, it is true that private
29:07
schools give those opportunities a little bit more.
29:11
In the end, I feel like it's still a place for them to build
29:18
that network and become friends with those people.
29:21
And I think that's really what drove me to this business
29:26
because in a AI setting right now in our current world where
29:31
AI is getting this big schools, just more than academic school
29:34
is a place where you really build those relationships with
29:37
your friends too. So I feel like more and more
29:40
parents are going to see that private school isn't is a huge
29:44
advantage in that way, not just about learning, but they get to
29:47
really build those connections and network with people, like
29:51
you said, those like really, really rich and wealthy people.
29:54
And that's why I feel like sometimes parents prefer private
29:57
schools for that reason too. And I feel like as AI gets
30:01
bigger and bigger, I can potentially see more parents
30:04
preferring private schools for that reason.
30:08
But again, that doesn't mean the public school is bad.
30:10
Public school is great as it is too.
30:13
I just thought that I can help a lot more.
30:17
If so many Korean parents are interested in private schools,
30:20
why don't I just help them? Because I know all the insights
30:23
and I know exactly what the schools as what the schools are
30:25
looking for as someone who is writing these recommendations.
30:29
So that's how I ended up starting it.
30:32
Cool. Yeah, I mean, it's a different
30:33
path and it's a personal choice, I guess, right?
30:36
Values. Yeah.
30:37
For the families, for sure, huh? Yeah.
30:40
Would you consider sending your children to these private
30:44
boarding schools? I would have to actually see
30:47
what type of girl she is. I think that's the biggest
30:50
thing. If she is someone that's able to
30:52
handle it, then maybe she's currently 22 months or her
30:57
favorite word is no. So I don't know.
31:00
You want that first. She becomes, Yeah.
31:02
Yeah, you have some time too. I do.
31:05
So, Rachel, tell me about your bringing.
31:08
Yeah. So I think I said it briefly
31:11
before, I think growing up I always felt like I had to pave
31:17
my own way. So I actually came to the States
31:19
when I was in 4th grade. So my parents didn't know a lot
31:22
about the American education system.
31:26
And I am a very ambitious person, so I wanted to do well.
31:32
So I had to find like the extracurricular activities that
31:35
I wanted to do. And I always did my research and
31:38
I always look for things. And I think that there were
31:43
times when I ran into struggles as a kid because my mom couldn't
31:47
help me. And I just wish like, I saw my
31:49
friends and they were getting all these opportunities to
31:51
through their parents. And I was like, wait, I'm not
31:53
like, can you help me too? But I mean, obviously her
31:57
English was limited and the resources that she had were
32:00
limited, so she couldn't help me that much.
32:02
And I feel like that really plays a big role in how I am as
32:07
a teacher and how I am now. And that's why I do a lot of
32:10
like giving out resources on Instagram to Korean parents, not
32:15
just math related, but just everything, just school tips and
32:18
things like that. And part of my other side of the
32:21
consulting is like helping the parents just navigating the
32:24
American school system. So helping them to understand
32:27
how to like e-mail the teachers. Korean parents love like one
32:31
thing. I actually make the same
32:32
mistake. So I'm the same way.
32:34
I always say dear, blah, blah, blah.
32:36
I'm so sorry to bother you Korean thing to do.
32:39
You don't have to be sorry because it is their job to help
32:42
you as a teacher. So I always help them to how to
32:45
like write emails, what kind of questions to ask during parent
32:48
teacher conferences because they don't know what to ask or what
32:52
to do. Like when your kid gets in
32:54
trouble in school and how to address that with different
32:57
administrators or these days sometimes kids struggle with
33:03
like depression and things like that.
33:04
So a lot of them do see like counselors and they are on
33:08
special programs like Individualized Educational plan
33:12
or five O 4. So how to really navigate
33:14
through those plans as well in school settings.
33:16
So that's another thing that I do to really help them.
33:19
And I feel like I am doing all of these things because I
33:22
struggled as a kid. And I know and I've seen it
33:26
through my parents and other Korean parents around me how
33:29
they feel very limited. And I want to make sure that
33:31
that doesn't happen to other Korean parents from now on.
33:35
Wow, That's really great. I mean, yeah, when I was in
33:39
middle school, we had one Korean teacher in the school.
33:42
Yes. She taught ESL, right.
33:44
My parents loved coming to see her because she's the only
33:49
person that they could talk to. So and you providing that's a
33:54
really important and essential information and guidance, I'm
33:58
sure they find it very, very encouraging.
34:04
Yeah, because for for Korean Americans especially, education
34:11
is everything. Yeah.
34:15
Like and I don't, and I mean it like very directly because it
34:20
really is everything, right? And I'm not saying I wasn't like
34:25
this, but you know, now that I'm much older and my kids are all
34:28
grown, I see moms like like very unrealistic about their kids
34:36
abilities and education, right? And I have I have never met any
34:43
Korean mom who did not think that their kids would go to one
34:47
of the high Ivy League schools, especially when.
34:52
They're younger and they're like, OK, maybe.
34:54
Right. OK, never mind.
34:57
But I mean, that's not a bad thing.
34:58
They're hopeful, right? They're they're hopeful.
35:01
And but what would you like? How would you guide them when
35:06
you know a younger mom and you don't want to burst their
35:10
bubble, but like what's a good guidance for a mom or parents
35:16
who who navigate their child's education journey?
35:20
Yeah, so I've met plenty of parents who think that their kid
35:25
is so good at me and I have to be like, I'm not too sure about
35:28
that where because I actually. So I do Olympiad coaching as
35:34
well for different type of math competitions like AMC and Math
35:38
counts. And a lot of parents are like
35:40
me, I want my kid to compete. And then I'm like, oh, I'm not
35:43
too sure. But one thing that I always tell
35:45
the parents is that just like how I don't know, like, you
35:48
know, that idiom like 1 shoe does not fit all kind of it like
35:52
maybe this is not their strength, but I think as a
35:56
parent, it's important to find that strength for the student.
36:00
And I always encourage the parents to do that, whether
36:04
that's art, whether that's music, whatever it is, it's our
36:07
job. Well, it's the parents job to
36:09
make sure that you can the kid can find that strength instead
36:12
of just really drilling down and focusing on academics.
36:15
So although I'm a math tutor for a lot of students and I've been
36:19
doing this for a while, there were plenty of times when I told
36:21
the parents I would have gotten the extra money if the
36:24
competition by the way, because I get that cost is way higher.
36:28
But I told them I was like, maybe this is not for them.
36:31
Maybe math, like you just need to make sure that they
36:34
understand the concept so that they can do well in school.
36:36
But then maybe, I don't know, history is it?
36:39
Or maybe they're really good at music.
36:41
And surprisingly, I think parents know.
36:45
I think they're just in denial, like they're just waiting for
36:48
someone to tell them because I've never had a parent that
36:51
fought back to me. Then parents were always like,
36:55
oh, they, because I think they know just like, I mean, my
36:59
daughter's only 22 months, but I feel like even though like she's
37:02
just started kind of talking, I feel like I know her personality
37:05
because I've been raising her for 22 months and that's only
37:08
been 22 months. These parents have been raising
37:10
their kids for like, I don't know, 11 to 12 years.
37:13
I'm sure that they know. It's just that I believe that
37:16
they're in denial. And once I tell them I I have
37:20
good conversations with them about it, and it always ends up
37:24
that, all right, like, let's find something else or let's
37:26
find something that they really enjoy.
37:29
Yeah. So that's a tip that I always
37:31
share with them. Well, that's good to know that
37:34
they're, they come to terms with that and they go, yeah, yeah.
37:38
I think parents know their kids. Yeah, yeah.
37:40
OK, So things have changed since we'll be like what?
37:45
No, you don't know anything. No, I don't think so.
37:47
Yeah. So interesting cuz especially
37:52
immigrant parents, they come to this country and they invest
37:57
everything in their kids, right? And I would think, I would guess
38:02
some of those parents who come to you may not have all the
38:07
funds and the social cloud or status to send their kids to
38:12
these private various prestigious boarding schools,
38:15
but they still want to because they think this is good for
38:19
their kids, right? And I think it's like a very
38:23
realistic journey or like a, you know, educational mapping that
38:30
they're doing because they hope that their kid will one,
38:37
assimilate storily into the society, very good school and
38:42
have high income, better life. Yeah, it's a it's a life real,
38:46
very realistic life mapping that they're drawing for their
38:50
children for sure. So, so it's a big deal.
38:54
It's a big deal, right? And they invest so much time,
38:58
money and energy. Not just the academia, but
39:02
there's music lessons, dance lessons, instrument lessons,
39:07
sports lessons. Yeah.
39:08
So there's so much, right? As a teacher, what would be 1
39:13
tip that you could give to parents?
39:17
Their character really matters and I think that's something
39:19
that a lot of parents really forget.
39:21
And myself too, I feel like like I see myself as a parent and I'm
39:26
like, Oh my God, like this like like she's only 22 months, but
39:29
I'm like, Oh my God, we gotta read three books every day.
39:31
So it's like even for myself, I definitely see it.
39:34
But I think more than that, I think it's really important to
39:37
focus on the kid, like the kids personality, the kids character.
39:43
But I feel like these days a lot of parents do forget that it
39:46
doesn't matter if you're not applying to private school or
39:49
going to those procedure schools, but that character is
39:53
gonna be built now, and that's what's gonna lead them for rest
39:56
of their life. And that's what they're really
39:58
gonna bring to this society. Getting an A on a test isn't
40:02
really gonna matter in 10 years, but that character and who you
40:06
are as a person, that's really important.
40:08
So I would say. Maybe take everyday, like 10
40:12
minutes, just check in with them, connect with them and help
40:15
them to reflect. I feel like that's really,
40:17
really important. But in our society, everyone's
40:20
so busy, so I feel like taking that time, just pausing and
40:24
reflecting is just so difficult. And I definitely see that as a
40:27
parent too. But I feel like that's so, so,
40:31
so crucial and that's so important.
40:34
Yeah. Lastly, can you give the parents
40:38
some tips on how to help your child with get better at math?
40:43
Yeah, yeah. So it's important to build that
40:49
number since like I've talked about early on, but so really
40:53
helped that number sense. But also a lot of parents really
40:56
just focus on numbers. Like for example, like Korean
41:00
parents love just doing like 3 + 5.
41:02
Yes, that's important. But also you need to understand
41:05
what that 3 + 5 means because you need to bring that to word
41:10
problem. So I would say do a 3 + 5 and do
41:13
that question but connect it to a word problem and do a word
41:16
problem that actually means three 2 + 5 because those are
41:19
the skills that students are lacking these days.
41:22
But also do some fun math questions too.
41:25
Don't do just like those ones that are hard, but do fun ones.
41:30
There are so many books out there where it's like fun math
41:33
riddles. Do those maybe like one to two.
41:35
You just need to make sure that kids really approach and see
41:38
math as a fun subject, not just something that's stressful.
41:42
I have so many friends they tell me they're like, oh, my kid is
41:45
in like first and 2nd grade and they tell me that they already
41:48
hate math and I always tell them it's because you made it not
41:51
fun. They're how can it not be not
41:53
fun when it's when they're just in 1st and 2nd grade.
41:56
So try to make it enjoyable for them as much as you can in the
41:59
younger and later on, if they're in middle school, it's so, so,
42:04
so crucial and important that you actually review the concept.
42:08
So I always tell my students, math is a cumulative subject.
42:11
So for example, in science, if you learn about wavelength, the
42:14
next thing you might learn about Earth, I don't know, rocks, Then
42:18
you can kind of like forget about wavelength.
42:19
Wavelength don't matter In math, it's actually different.
42:22
You learn about order of operations, you learn about
42:25
fraction, and then I'm going to give you order of operations
42:27
concept with fraction. So math is a subject, it kind of
42:31
like builds on top of one another.
42:32
So it's really important that you review.
42:35
A lot of student parents say, all right, like you've done
42:38
algebra one, now forget about algebra one because we're moving
42:40
on to geometry. No part of geometry.
42:43
You need to remember things from algebra one.
42:45
That's why schools plan it. So it's algebra one, geometry,
42:48
algebra 2. There's a reason why schools did
42:50
that. So it's really important that
42:52
you review the concepts constantly, not just focus on
42:55
the topics that are coming up. A lot of Korean parents just
42:59
focus on like tuning and previewing, but it's important
43:02
that you also review. So make it fun.
43:05
Yeah, make it fun and review. Have you seen that real on
43:09
Instagram where a parent is teaching their child young child
43:14
math? Math.
43:15
So they have 5 apples and then the mom yells we have 5 apples.
43:22
Jane had three apples. How many do you have left?
43:27
And the kid is like, no. Yeah, no, it's, it's scary.
43:32
Yeah, it is scary. And.
43:34
Yeah, you know, we my daughter, I sent it to my daughter because
43:38
we could so relate. I know.
43:40
No, it's so true. I think I was like that too.
43:42
Yeah, for sure. Yeah.
43:45
Yeah, that was so funny. Yeah, but this not easy.
43:48
But I I like your approach of making it fun, making it to a
43:52
came and more approachable number sense.
43:55
Yeah, number sense numbers. If the student has a number
44:00
sense, the student will find a way to figure it out.
44:04
So a lot of parents also think that there's only one method to
44:08
solve the question. So math has one answer that is
44:11
true, but there are multiple ways to get that answer.
44:15
So parents are like, wait, no, they have to do it this way.
44:17
No, as long as that they understand if they have that
44:20
number, since they will get that that one correct answer, they
44:24
might do solve it differently and that is OK.
44:27
Yeah, so until about fifth grade, numbers is the most
44:30
important thing. And having fun with math, yes,
44:34
awesome. It was always intimidating for
44:37
me to see a math job so bad at it.
44:41
Take 1.5 pockets, listeners. We'll have information how you
44:46
could reach Rachel Kim if you ever needed consultation or any
44:49
advice on your child's education journey.
44:53
And I really enjoyed having this conversation with you, Rachel,
44:56
thanks so much.