Caylee Tutor Interview

Q. Hi Caylee! Can you introduce yourself to the Cafetalk community?: A. Hello, I’m Kim, Kyung. I went to Japan in 2008 and studied there for 6 years. I began teaching Korean in 2010, and I teach Korean and Japanese now. I understand the obstacles that students face when studying foreign languages because I once was a student studying English and Japanese. Based on my learning experience, I can teach students to understand easily. To be honest, I passed JLPT N1 when I was in Japan for a year, but I could not speak a single sentence in Japanese. If you struggle with speaking, don’t worry! I can speak in Japanese in public now. If I can do it, you can do it too. I want to be a teacher who encourages students.
Q. Where do you live now?: A. I live in a city named Omaha in Oklahoma state. Oklahoma is in the midwest of the U.S, and Omaha is the biggest city in Oklahoma. It is the city well-known for Warren Buffet’s hometown. The city is safe and peaceful.
Q. What made you become a Cafetalk tutor?: A. When I was in Japan, I attended a Japanese academy in the city hall. At the academy, Japanese teachers taught Japanese to the students while the students taught their native languages to the teachers. This was my first moment when I taught Korean to Japanese. My husband and I had to move around due to his job, so I joined Cafetalk where I can teach Korean anywhere I want.
Q. What do you do when you have free time? Do you have any hobbies?: A.I usually watch soap operas through Netflix. I am an outgoing person who likes to go out and experience the neighborhood, but Omaha’s winter is severely cold. The temperature often falls into -20 degrees Celcius during the winter, so I usually stay home during the winter. I began to practice driving a car these days. I got my license 15 years ago back in Korea, but I never drove a car there. You can’t go anywhere without driving here in Omaha, so I have to practice driving again.
Q. How can one speak Korean fluently?: A.As you would probably know, you need to practice speaking a lot to be able to speak the language fluently. I know it is hard to practice a foreign language unless you are in that country. I recommend making yourself to be in a situation where you can speak the language. For example, explain what you are doing in Korean when you get up and brush your teeth. If you can’t think of the right word that you want to express, you can find the word in a dictionary. Or you can ask a tutor during a lesson. This will let you have a more effective lesson, and your Korean skills will improve.
Q. Can you recommend your lesson to Cafetalk students?: A. I recommend “매일 한국어(Daily Korean)”. It has 25 and 50 minutes of lessons. It is really important to study the language every day even just for 10 minutes. The lesson is flexible according to a student’s needs. We can focus on studying grammar, intonation, pronunciation whichever a student needs to study. We can use Korean soap opera, music or any study materials that can make a lesson fun.
Q. Before we end the interview, can you give a message to Cafetalk students?: A.As I have been teaching Korean for 6 years, I always tell my students not to give up. Students start learning Korean for different reasons and goals, and yet there are few students who persistently learn and achieve their goals. It may take a while, but don’t give up. Learning a language is a long process but your Korean skill will improve if you don’t give up.