Hello. I am Haru-Baeum Instructor Taeyoung Kim, making every day a joy to learn.

Experience

Former) Full-time Instructor for HSK Levels 4 and 5 at Busan Seomyeon Confucius Academy Chinese Language Education Center

Former) Interpreter for the Korea-China Game Industry Exchange hosted by the Korea Game Industry Association and the Korea Copyright Commission

Former) Pukyong National University COVID-19 Emergency Response Team Chinese Translator/Interpreter

Former) Ranked 2nd most popular expert in the Naver eXpert Chinese language category

Current) Director of Haru-Baeum Chinese Language Lab

The Story of Chinese Instructor Kim Tae-young

This is the schedule from my days teaching at an academy, a time I spent with youthful ambition and passion. They were good times, but back then, I didn't know how to take care of myself, and I nearly collapsed several times during lectures due to overwork.

Whenever I felt my consciousness fading for a moment, I would lean against the chalkboard as if I were writing something. Part of it was because I didn't want the students to worry, but I also endured it because I was grateful for the opportunity to teach, believing that feeling exhausted was only natural since my lectures were so well-loved.

This is a photo from a conversation class at the time. In those classes, I taught in a way that encouraged a lot of speaking, and after the first day, the students started bringing me drinks from the second day onwards. Their passion fueled mine even more. There was even a time we received a complaint because my voice and the students' voices were echoing into other classrooms. At that moment, I thought, "Ah, I'm doing a great job," and poured even more heat into the lecture.

It was a course where we watched dramas together to practice speaking and learn the process of translating Chinese into Korean. Since it was a class I really wanted to teach, I held it as a free special lecture on the weekend, and unexpectedly, many people showed up. There weren't enough seats in the assigned classroom, so we had no choice but to bring in extra chairs to make space. Although they aren't visible, there were students sitting on chairs in the back of the room, and I felt so bad for them. So, I spoke with the director and moved the class to a larger room starting from the next session. Even after moving, we had to set up more seats than the original capacity, but I was relieved that we could at least provide desks for everyone. It was such an enjoyable class.

I remember how much the students' reviews gave me strength when I was teaching. Students who stayed with me from Conversation Level 1 all the way to HSK wrote down their stories, and thanks to their sincerity, I was able to keep a grateful heart and always strive to deliver better lessons.

Haru Baeum, a story that hasn't ended yet

Currently, I am working in a small office, creating my own textbooks, providing private Chinese tutoring, and developing various courses to teach Chinese.

"Join a company and live a stable life," I heard plenty of such realistic advice, but

I want to do this work. I must do this work. Therefore, I will do this work.

As I write by hand while thinking about what makes a "lecture of my own," watch recordings of myself teaching, and sit in the quiet lab after finishing a session to enjoy a brief moment of solitude, I prepare for the next class with the belief that I can deliver even better lectures with better materials and better content.

I will not give up until you reach the level of Chinese proficiency you desire.

If it is something the student needs to know, I will repeat it over and over and stay by their side until they can do it.

If a student is anxious about whether they can succeed, I will put their mind at ease through both the process and the results.

Thank you.