As I begin my 10th professional year as an educator and teacher, I have begun to wonder what brought me here. I used to believe that my experience and interest budded back in 2010 as an SAT teacher and application consultant for a boutique academy in Seoul, South Korea, but over the years I have realized something different. I have been an educator, a mentor since the day my brothers were born. Growing up with two younger brothers in a semi-traditional Korean American family has cemented my role as a mentor. In Korea there is a saying that the firstborn must set a good example in order for the younger siblings to follow suit, so the standards I set for myself, along with my parents, were high. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to become, except to gain accept to and attend a prestigious university. So, I did the only thing I could – strive to be the best.
今年已經(jīng)是我從事教育行業(yè)的第十年了，我開(kāi)始思索當(dāng)初是什么原因讓我加入到教育行業(yè)中來(lái)。從前我覺(jué)得，我對(duì)教育的興趣和經(jīng)驗(yàn)是從首爾開(kāi)始的。2010年我在韓國(guó)首爾的一家高端教育學(xué)院擔(dān)任SAT老師和留學(xué)申請(qǐng)顧問(wèn)。但隨著從業(yè)時(shí)間的增長(zhǎng)，我現(xiàn)在又有了一個(gè)新的答案——自從我弟弟出生的那一天，我就成為了一名導(dǎo)師。成長(zhǎng)在一個(gè)半傳統(tǒng)的美籍韓裔家庭中，并且有兩個(gè)弟弟，讓我與導(dǎo)師這個(gè)角色密不可分。在韓國(guó)有這樣一個(gè)傳統(tǒng)，就是長(zhǎng)子必須要給弟弟妹妹樹(shù)立一個(gè)好榜樣，所以我給自己和我的父母給我定的目標(biāo)都是很高的。但事實(shí)上，成長(zhǎng)階段的我除了想要考上一個(gè)名牌大學(xué)，其他的都還沒(méi)有打算，我并不知道我以后想要成為一個(gè)什么樣的人，或者從事什么工作。所以，我一直做的事情就是努力讓自己成為最優(yōu)秀的學(xué)生。
Fueled by my competitive nature, I always looked towards the number one spot. From academics to athletics, I wanted to win. Luckily, attaining perfect grades and winning the affection of my teachers came easily, especially as I entered middle school. However, athletics came with many different challenges. As a child, I wasn’t fond of too many sports, or at least the ones my parents exposed me to during my younger years. Eventually, I found my passion in contact sports, such as martial arts, and tennis during my middle school years but had to train twice as hard in order to compete with my peers.
由于競(jìng)爭(zhēng)是我的天性，所以我總是朝著第一名努力。從學(xué)術(shù)到運(yùn)動(dòng)，我都想贏。幸運(yùn)的是，尤其是在初中的時(shí)候，我很輕松地取得了好成績(jī)，并且得到了老師的關(guān)注?？墒窃隗w育方面，對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)就沒(méi)有那么輕松，總是充滿了各種挑戰(zhàn)。在我小的時(shí)候，我對(duì)體育運(yùn)動(dòng)并不是很感興趣，至少通過(guò)我父母了解到的那些運(yùn)動(dòng)，我都不是很感興趣。但最終，我發(fā)現(xiàn)了我對(duì)競(jìng)技體育的充沛熱情。我很喜歡武術(shù)，而且我在初中的時(shí)候還打網(wǎng)球，但是我需要付出比同學(xué)們多一倍的努力參加訓(xùn)練才能跟他們較量。
During this time, my brothers and I were inseparable. Opportunities and hurdles alike brought the Lee brothers together, and I felt responsible for not only their growth, but also their well-being. I shared my successes, as well as my failures, so both could reap the benefits of my experiences in hopes of them finding success and happiness faster than I could at their age. Unlike my tiger mom, who never complimented me until the day I graduated high school, I took a different approach with my brothers. I would be their biggest critic and supporter. Deep down, I didn’t want them to face some of the difficulties I had to face growing up.
在這期間，我跟我的兩個(gè)弟弟形影不離。機(jī)會(huì)和困難把我們緊緊地拴在一起，我覺(jué)得自己作為哥哥，不但要為他們的成長(zhǎng)負(fù)責(zé)，還要有責(zé)任培養(yǎng)他們的優(yōu)秀品行。我會(huì)跟他們分享我成功或者失敗的經(jīng)歷，這樣他們能夠從我的經(jīng)歷中收獲一些有價(jià)值的經(jīng)驗(yàn)和道理，這樣在以后的日子里，他們就能夠少走一些彎路，跟我相比，能夠更快的收獲屬于自己的成功與快樂(lè)。我的媽媽在我高中畢業(yè)前，并沒(méi)有對(duì)我說(shuō)過(guò)一句夸獎(jiǎng)的話或者對(duì)我的表現(xiàn)感到滿足。跟我的虎媽相比，我對(duì)我兩個(gè)弟弟的教育方式是截然不同的。我會(huì)對(duì)他們賞罰分明。如果他們犯錯(cuò)，我不會(huì)留情；如果他們做得好，我會(huì)不遺余力的支持他們。我的內(nèi)心深處很想要他們?cè)诔砷L(zhǎng)過(guò)程中能夠少走我走過(guò)的彎路。
Soon, my knack and passion for mentoring my brothers passed onto others. Whether it was service opportunities in my community or leading my peers in academic subjects and extracurriculars, I wanted to bring the best out of people. One could say that my more selfish nature evolved to become selfless as I matured, and I would fuel my competitive nature into others. In college I had the opportunity to take my mentorship to the next level. From leading study groups for economics courses to collaborating with my peers to consult start-ups and Fortune 500 companies, I was not only contributing towards the growth of others, but also gaining mentors so that I could continue learning. I came to realize that no matter how old one becomes, one must have mentors in order to grow.
就這樣，我對(duì)我弟弟們的引導(dǎo)經(jīng)歷，也潛移默化地影響了我。無(wú)論是參加社區(qū)的服務(wù)機(jī)會(huì)，還是在學(xué)校的課程和課外活動(dòng)，我都會(huì)盡我最大的努力去幫助別人。隨著年齡的增長(zhǎng)，我變得更加樂(lè)于奉獻(xiàn)。與此同時(shí)，我會(huì)將我熱愛(ài)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的天性灌輸?shù)轿抑車(chē)娜松砩?。大學(xué)期間的一段經(jīng)歷，使我的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)能力獲得了一次升華。從帶領(lǐng)經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)課程小組的同學(xué)完成課題，到為創(chuàng)業(yè)階段的企業(yè)和財(cái)富500強(qiáng)企業(yè)提供咨詢，我不僅為他人的成長(zhǎng)做出了貢獻(xiàn)，還獲得了自己的人生導(dǎo)師，讓我能夠繼續(xù)學(xué)習(xí)。我開(kāi)始意識(shí)到，處在任何一個(gè)人生階段的人，都必須有人生導(dǎo)師的引導(dǎo)才能獲得成長(zhǎng)。
I believe mentorship goes hand in hand with education. Education goes beyond the classroom, it is a way of life, and is augmented with the right mentors. My life is a testament to my path as an educator and mentor. To this day, I continue learning to be the best I can, so that I can pass on my experiences to my mentees, while searching for more passionate and accomplished mentors.
我相信通過(guò)導(dǎo)師的學(xué)習(xí)是教育的一種重要方式。教育不僅僅體現(xiàn)在課堂當(dāng)中，而是高于課堂的，它是一種生活的方式，找到適合自己的導(dǎo)師則會(huì)對(duì)教育大有助益。我的人生經(jīng)歷驅(qū)使著我在教育家和人生導(dǎo)師的道路上一直走下去。直到現(xiàn)在，我仍在盡我所能地不斷學(xué)習(xí)，為了夠?qū)⑽业慕?jīng)驗(yàn)分享給比我年輕的后輩，與此同時(shí)，我也將繼續(xù)尋找更有激情和更有成就的人生導(dǎo)師。
