As students enter the classroom, Mr. Cory Kim begins setting up the lesson for the day. Currently, Kim is the long-term substitute teacher for Mrs. Natalie Santana’s Integrated Math 2 Honors and CP Math 3 classes for the remainder of the semester. He graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, and a year after his graduation, he returned to earn his Single Subject Math Credential.
Before taking on this role, Kim worked as a short-term substitute at other schools. However, he was notified of his long-term position through an email sent to all credentialed substitutes in the district. After applying and being approved, he promptly took over the class in February with a notably cheerful attitude and excited demeanor.
At the beginning of his job, Kim allowed students to use the supplemental videos provided. However, as time progressed, he took on more responsibility and began teaching the lessons himself.
“At first, Santana told me that I could keep using all the material she made, but because I’m the one in the class the entire semester, she said I can start having my own control over the class and be able to do what I chose,” Kim said. “Instead of watching the videos, I started teaching the lessons.”
After a month of teaching, students have grown fond of Kim, looking forward to arriving and learning from him every day. Like many other teachers, Kim strives to create a safe and fun environment for students to learn—and does so successfully.
“Something special to me about learning from Mr. Kim is that it’s never boring to learn from him,” Emma Egbalic (9) said. “Something about his teaching tells my brain that this is fun and I want to learn the material.”
Not only does Kim create a safe environment, he does a great job at making students understand the lessons. While covering very complex topics students could easily become overwhelmed and stressed. With Kim’s teaching style, students are able to perform better on quizzes and tests as they work towards the second semester final.
“Mr. Kim does a good job of relating the lessons to scenarios that make them easier to understand, which can help me to memorize certain things from the math lessons,” Aubrey Figureoa (9) said.
Beyond fostering a positive learning environment, Kim also strives to brighten each day for his students. School is often seen as just another stress factor in a student’s life, yet Kim wants his class to be more than another dull, routine period. By making the class enjoyable, he helps students become more engaged in learning.
“Hopefully, by doing my job, the students will see that I’m having fun and they’ll have fun, too, and create that mutual relation between us,” Kim said. “Where they start coming to class with more smiles and feeling ready rather than just coming here, like thinking it’s just another period.”
Through Kim’s teaching, students are happier to arrive at his class and enjoy the lessons each day. However, as a substitute, his time with them is limited. As students finish the school year, he hopes the lessons they have learned will stay with them—not just academically, but as fond memories as well.
“In the end, I’ll hope that after all of this you guys should come out and instead of thinking about how bad you hate math you would much better think how fun it was being in a subject you did not like,” Kim said. “However, if you can still be optimistic and find the small stuff that makes it fun, then you see that your vision just becomes a bit brighter.”
