EO An Associate Dean of Stanford Was A Bottom Student | Paul Kim | EO
Nov 29, 2025
Paul Kim, Associate Dean and CTO at Stanford Graduate School of Education, once struggled as a bottom student in Korean schools. He shares his journey from feeling beaten down by traditional education to shaping innovative learning tools like SMILE. Kim emphasizes the importance of teaching students to ask better questions and critiques outdated classroom models that hinder individual growth. He also discusses essential future skills like self-regulation and metacognition, advocating for accessible, high-quality education for all.
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From Struggling Student To A's In College
- Paul Kim was a poor student in Korea and got punished, which pushed him to explore making and breaking things instead of classroom learning.
- After moving to the U.S. he wrote a Korean essay for a music class, earned an A, and realized understanding students individually matters.
Teaching By Following Students' Interests
- Paul Kim coached low-performing students using their interests, like sharing car magazines to teach English to a boy who loved automobiles.
- That experience made him fall in love with teaching and motivated him to pursue education technology degrees.
Questions Fuel Learning And Innovation
- Questions drive deeper learning and innovation by leading to more and bolder follow-up questions.
- Moving students from recall to creative, unknown-focused questions opens paths to discovery and change.