A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will change the lives of students and families struggling with grades, the Channel A program "Please Help with Grades: Teachers 2" featured a "study beginner" first-year high school student who overcame a decade-long gap in education through the "No Base Camp" and gained strength to move forward.
In the episode aired on 24th, a "study beginner" first-year high school student, who had once been a "promising soccer player" but started studying after giving up the dream of becoming a soccer player due to an injury, appeared. The student said, "I started studying late and it's been 6 months, but I don't know what to do. Can I catch up with my peers in 3 years when I only knew soccer for my whole life?" seeking help. Since the student entered the college entrance exam battlefield late, there were many terms like early admission, detailed requirements and activity (special activities), and mock tests that were unfamiliar to him. The student's parents were also struggling to choose the right workbooks and found it difficult to understand documents with raw scores, standard scores, and grades.
Meanwhile, the student actively participated in class and showed a focused attitude. He wanted to attend a private academy, but was rejected by several due to being an athlete. Still, he was dedicated enough to travel to an academy 3 hours away. After 6 months of studying, the "study beginner" student scored 33 points in Korean for a grade of 6, 50 points in math for a grade of 4, and 60 points in English for a grade of 5 in a mock test. While reviewing his score report and exam papers, Jeong Seung-je remarked, "There are traces of persistence in solving the problems despite getting them wrong. It's very pretty," recognizing the student's tenacity. Jo Jeong-sik noted, "You don't like English, do you?" assessing that the student disliked reading and had low literacy skills. During a vocabulary level test conducted immediately afterward, the student felt a barrier even with middle school first-year vocabulary. It was diagnosed that he was memorizing words in a fragmented manner with no foundation, characteristic of a lower-ranking student.
As expected, even while studying Korean, the student struggled to understand even a single sentence because of unfamiliar words. His basic vocabulary was severely lacking, yet he read without looking up meanings. In response, Mimi Minu asked, "What is the difference between 'payment' and 'distribution'?" To which the student replied, "Distribution seems like it is given politely." Mimi Minu explained, "Unlike 'payment,' 'distribution' means it is not intended for profit. The foundation of studying is to ensure you grasp concepts fully," pointing out that the process of looking up and understanding unknown vocabulary is essential regardless of grades. Furthermore, the student's mother, who sensed the academic gap due to the lack of reading experience and the interruption in studying from sports, said, "I'm so sorry, mom," blaming herself for not supporting her son's studies. The student comforted his crying mother, saying, "I will make up for the 10 years that have passed starting from now. I can do it," which brought tears to Han Hye-jin's eyes.
Regarding making up for the studying gap, Jeong Seung-je explained, "You can catch up by learning only the necessary units in the middle school curriculum first." Jo Jeong-sik added, "If only English is at a lower level, memorizing vocabulary will improve scores. However, if both English and Korean are at lower levels, solving middle school second-year comprehension problems by memorizing the text is a drastic measure. To master the mock tests, you need to revisit the middle school textbooks in social studies, science, and Korean," recommending an increase in reading volume.
To fill the student's study gap and escape from the bottom, Jeong Seung-je and Jo Jeong-sik held the "No Base Camp". Jeong Seung-je said, "While others will finish the foundational concepts accumulated over 10 years in just 2 hours today," preparing to sprint. He explained foundational shapes from elementary school, stating, "Elementary shapes lead up to the college entrance exams." As the student conquered elementary math, middle school math started to come into view, and the youngest challenger, a "math prodigy" third-year elementary student, visited as a special guest to collaborate on problem-solving with the first-year high school student, expanding their possibilities together. In the subsequent English session, Jo Jeong-sik handed over 3,000 essential English words officially designated by the National Education Commission. He emphasized starting from the essential vocabulary of elementary school to prepare for high school English, and the student began memorizing 50 essential words daily to fill the gaps before progressing to grammar and reading comprehension based on the second-year middle school English textbook.
However, literacy continued to hinder the student's progress. Ultimately, Yoon Hye-jung, known as the 'Goddess of Korean', was brought in. She emphasized that the goal should be to understand sentences by reading them in segments, highlighting the importance of summarizing and understanding paragraphs. Yoon Hye-jung added, "While the main content of the text is crucial, detailed information is also important for college entrance exam preparation." Encouraging the student, who found Korean daunting, she said, "This isn't just your story. Have the confidence that I can do it too," providing new hope to the student who had once faced a setback due to injury, concluding the solutions.
[Photo] Capture from Channel A's "Please Help with Grades: Teachers 2."
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