▲ Book Tree / CEOs Lee Myoung-ju and Park Kyoung-dam

(PowerKorea) Some students are exceptional in some subjects. This is because each student has each different aptitude and talent. However, some students show top performance in most subjects. These students have one thing in common: extensive reading. Unlike those who are not interested in reading, they tend to read on their own interest without a force of teacher or parents. 

“Reading starts at picking up a book. This requires curiosity of a child who will choose the book he or she wants to read. The role of teacher or parents is to help the child to read in balance between fiction and non-fiction” says Lee Myoung-ju, CEO of Book Tree.

“In fact, the act of teaching is done not by the teacher but by the book. What is the role of the teacher then? It is to help a child to choose and read the right book that can give an insight to the child. In other words, the teacher’s role is to lay a bridge between the child and the book and to point out the important parts if the child fails in catching them” says Co-CEO Park Kyoung-dam.

Lee and Park voice together that many essay academies have two problems in common: books are already decided by the teacher and it is group-based. This can cause boredom of some students who are not interested in the book which then leads to reluctant participation and underperformed results. 

So Lee and Park gathered their experience together to launch self-motivated reading coaching academy Book Tree in 2009. The program is flexible that each student chooses the time and date from once a week to five times a week. The level test analyzes the preference of the child and narrow downs the scope of the books for the child to choose. After reading, the Book Tree’s self-developed BTOS (Book Tree Online System) checks whether the reading of the child was successful with the assistance of a teacher one on one. The printout is then comes up to write about the book and to give a feedback which wraps the things up.

Lee used to run a study group during which she realized power of reading. Park used to work for an essay academy for 5 years and had a doubt whether students in that way could actually write an essay about the book they read. 

“In my experience, many reading children have distinguished talent and wisdom to see things. They make reading a habit at the initial stage and develop it into growing critical thinking and have experience of their life being changed gradually by the books they read. Also, they can build a vocabulary pool from which they will draw up the right word to delivery their opinions effectively. I can see they are being changed day by day and it makes me proud of my job which I’ve been carrying on for the last 13 years” says Lee.

Currently, Book Tree is found in Deagu, Seoul and Daejeon and Lee and Park are ambitious to grow their virtuous influence to more children nationwide. 

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