Mr. Kim leaves LHS; Social Studies Department starts hiring process
Mr. Kim reflects on the two years he taught at LHS, saying, “It has been fulfilling and satisfying in every way.”
One of LHS’s newest teachers, Mr. Jonathan Kim, is leaving after two years at the school, which leaves his teaching spot open for a new hire.
Mr. Kim is planning on moving to California and hopes to find a job there, saying that “companies like Disney, Hulu or Netflix are very intriguing to me.”
Mr. Kim taught AP Psychology and AP Economics this year, and he also taught government last year. The process for finding a new teacher to fill these gaps has already begun according to Mr. Brian Voss, the Social Studies Department Supervisor and the man in charge of finding a candidate.
The job does not need to technically be filled until the first day of the 2019-20 school year, but Mr. Voss said: “my goal is to get [the candidate] to the board [of education] by May 20.” The school board has the final decision on the hire, after approval by the principal and the superintendent.
Ms. Kara Bosman, who teaches AP Psychology with Mr. Kim, said that she would like to see “someone student-centered” in a new hire. She said that it’s important for a teacher to “help students find passion.”
Mr. Voss mentioned that most candidates for the position will have a master’s degree because that’s one of the main expectations for the position.
“Some candidates will have a bachelor’s [degree] in secondary education,” he added, saying this will help them stand out a little bit from the crowd.
After a brief stint in the finance industry, Mr. Kim landed a job teaching at LHS. Mr. Kim believes he’s very lucky to have gotten this job: “I lucked out and ended up at the best spot right out of school.” He has really enjoyed his time at LHS, saying “it has been… fulfilling and satisfying in every way.”
“I’ve been more challenged in the last two years than I ever have been, and I’ve failed more. Every single person I’ve interacted with has changed me in some way,” Mr. Kim said.
Mr. Kim started to think about moving out to California last summer and has been waiting for the perfect moment to leave.
“I don’t know if we create those moments or they come to us,” he said. “If I waited for the perfect opportunity to move, it would never come and I would miss out on my chance. I just needed to pull the trigger.”
Mr. Kim is ready for a new chapter in his life: “I’m single and I’m young, and I don’t have people who I need to take care of. The stage of life where I can be adventurous and take a risk and try something new without knowing how it’s gonna turn out, that window is closing and it’s terrifying to do it, but I only have so many chances.”
Understanding he has only spent two years at LHS, Mr. Kim doesn’t expect to leave a big impact on the school. He does hope to leave an impact on his students, though.
“If 10 years down the line Libertyville High School doesn’t remember me, no big deal, it wouldn’t feel like a failure,” he said. “But I really hope 10 years down the line that some student remembers something. The one thing I hope everyone in my class remembers is that human beings are fascinating beyond imagine both in the market and in life.”
Mr. Kim has two pieces of advice for students.
“Stop waiting for tomorrow,” he said. “Everybody thinks that happiness is waiting for them tomorrow and people who live that way never live happy.”
He suggests that we stop putting happiness behind a corner because it will never be there when we round the corner. He also wants students to “love people well because…people are worth loving well.”
This includes one’s self, as he added, “loving other people well starts with loving yourself well. You’re valuable as you are.”
