Hoon Kim
Hoon Kim has spent the last 12 years as a traditional teacher at public schools, as a successful test-prep instructor, teacher trainer, and academic coordinator at independent educational institutions, and as a socially-conscious educational entrepreneur, founding Pittsburgh Prep in 2009.
"Test prep is the 800 lb. elephant in the room," he says, "and there is a lot of misinformation about the subject."
As an educator, Hoon understands that test prep should not be merely about teaching to the test, or tips & tricks, but about expertly learning the fundamental concepts and applying them in a critical manner. Students are taught how standardized exams fit into the grand scheme of their academic career, what they need to do to improve, and how to get there.
"Students come first," he states. "They are, and always will be, the focus of our program – all of our efforts are dictated by empirical data to ultimately drive performance improvement."
As a result, he holds a firm belief that the proper mix of high-quality teachers, backed by sound leadership, and strong accountability for all of Pittsburgh Prep's staff yields in a superb educational experience for all of its students.
Hoon can be found teaching the following subjects:
- SAT (Scores 99% every year. Latest June, 2010 score: 2240)
- ACT
- SAT II Subject Tests
- Academic tutoring (Math, English, Sciences)
He graduated from NYU (B.A. Philosophy) and Harvard's Graduate School of Education (Ed.M.), volunteered a year of service as a full-time Americorps*VISTA in Oregon, traded the highly volatile NASDAQ options as a trader on the floor of the American Stock Exchange, taught as an ESL teacher at CUNY, and as a Teach for America member in Houston, TX, and was an All-American Wrestler in high school and college.
Aside from running Pittsburgh Prep, Hoon is also currently engaged in finding ways to guide disadvantaged youth to become college-ready. Finally, in his spare time, he enjoys cooking, writing novels, painting, Brazilian Jiujitsu and running marathons.
