EMMA PARK TUTOR INTERVIEW

EMMA PARK Tutor Interview

Q. Hi Emma! Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. To start off, can you tell your students a little bit about where you come from/where you grew up?: A. Hello! I was born in Busan, but our family moved to Seoul when I was young. I can talk about both cities since I have some great memories in the two cities.
Q. It seems like you currently live in Malaysia. Can you tell us a bit about your life there?: A. I currently live in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. Malaysia is located in southeast Asia, and the weather here is pretty much hot and humid year-round. Some people don’t like the weather here, but I love it!
You can see many shopping malls and tall buildings around Kuala Lumpur. It is the city where the famous Petronas Twin Towers (built by Korean and Japanese companies) are located. Malaysia is also very close to Singapore and Thailand.
Q. Can you tell us a little bit more about your professional background? What got you into teaching, and what motivated you to keep pursuing this career?: A. I began teaching Korean literature to primary and secondary students as a private tutor when I was in college. I've never stopped teaching while I was in college, but I had to stop after I started working at a publishing company after I graduated. However, I realized that teaching is the right career path for me because I felt rewarded by teaching and communicating with students. I feel truly rewarded when students understand what I teach, and this rewarding moment motivates me to continue teaching.
Q. Have you always been a teacher? If not, what else have you been doing professionally? If yes, what are some highlights of your teaching career?: A. I have many interests, and because of that, I've worked in different fields such as a publishing company, a cafe, a language academy, and a kindergarten. However, I've never stopped teaching Korean to foreigners. I like watching my students trying to understand Korean and learning new expressions. I always try my best to explain new words and sentences to them.
Q. What are you usually up to when you’re not teaching on Cafetalk? What are your hobbies and interests?: A. I usually work out when I don't have lessons. I like staying home watching TV or practising yoga. I also love to go out sightseeing with my husband.
Q. You offer a lesson on Korean Dramas. Can you tell us about your all-time favourite Korean TV shows?: A. I like Korean TV shows like "Running Man" or "Superman Is Back". I can just relax and have fun while watching these shows. "Superman is Back" is about parenting, and you can watch celebrities' kids.
Q. A lot of students are probably curious about the atmosphere in your lessons. What can a student imagine a lesson with you to be like? What’s your teaching style?: A. My lesson focuses on conversation. Since I can't speak Japanese, students and I use Korean only during lessons. I think this makes students practice Korean conversation more. One needs to practice words and expressions that they've learned, and this actually enables students to remember the words/expressions better. That is why I try to let students speak out more during lessons. We talk about different topics and exchange our thoughts in Korean. You can learn practical expressions that Korean people use every day.
Q. Since you offer a variety of lessons, is there any lesson you can recommend in particular? Or can you give a quick overview of which lesson might be good for which type of student?: A. My popular lessons are free talk and picture description lessons. Students can learn different expressions or words. Not only do they practice conversation, but they also can learn new words from the lesson. Some students wanted to have a class longer than 25 minutes, so I made a 50-minute customized lesson. You can mix some content from free talk and picture description lessons in this customized lesson. You can talk about anything in depth during the 50 minutes lesson. I provide feedback and recording files so that you can practice after lessons.
Q. Finally, would you like to leave a message for your current and future students?: A. I'm always grateful to have students that take my lesson. I always try my best to teach Korean and my culture in a way that students can learn better. Do not give up studying Korean. I hope you be happy and see you in my class.