Today we’d like to introduce you to Carole Kim
Hi Carole, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Carole. I’m a firstborn daughter of three to two Korean immigrants. I am passionate about education and making learning fun for kids while also striving to be the best mom to my two sons. Much like many children of immigrants, our career paths were limited to being a doctor, engineer or a lawyer (to name a few), and I also sought out the health care field as a young 18 year old in college. Quickly finding out that the sciences were not for me, I turned to my other joy in life: working with children and continued on to become a teacher. I loved making required lessons fun and easy to learn for kids. Making learning seem like play was one of my hidden specialties. Before kids knew it, they were masters at the goal I had for them. Today, I am a full-time mom to two young kids. I am a homemaker and on the side, I share fun activities and learning tips for kids on social media because moms know that you can never have too many little activities!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Deciding to become a full time mom and to leave my classroom was definitely a big challenge and struggle for me. I have a big passion for teaching kids and making learning fun and attainable for all. In the classroom, my favorite ways to teach lessons were through hands on learning and game-based learning. We loved unit lessons with cumulative projects that tied all that we learned in the unit together. It was all so much fun watching the kiddos in my classes brains working and eyes twinkling from the magic of learning.
Trying to adjust to the lifestyle of having to maintain a house and raising a kid seemed similar but it was all so different mentally and emotionally. I found myself confused as to what to do with my time and my baby because when I was in the classroom, it was a constant state of go-go-go and all things were in my control and in the time and schedule I created. But that’s not what a baby was all about. I had to learn to let go of the control I learned to create and be okay with being on someone else’s time.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Now I am a full time mom and part time content creator. But I’d also like to add that I am still a full time teacher to my two kiddos. I learned that the learning never stops wherever we are. I still make mini lessons for my kids for their appropriate developmental stage, hands on activities for their learning and games to play to reinforce what we’ve been learning.
I’m most proud that I learned to find my identity again through motherhood and that pieces of my life prior to that still existed in me, just in a different way.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Surrounding myself with like-minded moms have been challenging but my biggest piece of advice in finding someone to lean on for help would be to be that someone for yourself first. Collect ideas, information and advice from your own experience and archive them in your brain or even better, write it down- journal it. So that when someone comes around that needs your help or a someone asks you if you need some guidance, you have a notebook of things to share or talk about. Doing this really helps your own mental health and builds resilience while also collecting helpful tips for others in your network as well!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prettyinblushpink
- Other: https://www.TikTok.com/prettyinblushpink
