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History

     During summer session of Bookworms Club in July 2002, my mother in Korea was hospitalized with last stage of pancreatic cancer, and I rushed to her bedside to nurse her. My return to Korea was almost 23 years after leaving the country. During my unexpected stay in Korea, I had noticed how the children in countryside and of poor families did not have the same chance to learn English with native English speaking teachers.

     Only the city children of well-to-do-families were able to study with native English speaking teachers. Moreover, the children in countryside and of poor families could not dream for entering well-known colleges and finding well paying jobs due to their poor English communication skills. I was shocked and felt despair to find such unequal educational environment in my native country. While I was growing up, although Korea was the third poorest country in the world after the Japanese Occupation and the Korean War, every child could dream of entering well–known universities and/or getting well paying jobs as long as they were willing to study hard.

     Knowing how Bookworms Club had been able to help new immigrant ESL children in my home town in Maryland, I had hoped that Korean rural children could enjoy book discussion clubs with US teachers. But, that was only a hope back in 2002.

     In March 2004, my mother-in-law, Sofie passed away leaving a tiny home in Connecticut. The proceed from the sale of Sofie's home enabled to charter for Promise Cyber School in July, 2004. The sound and images of video conferencing were choppy at then, but I believed that technology will continue to improve. Being confident, my prayer number one from January 2005 on has been that Korean Department of Education will one day endorse our way of teaching English and pay for our program so that no child would be left behind.

     By the end of 2006, the proceed from the sale of my mother-in-law was being depleted real fast,and I have been considering to give up. However, an unexpected contract from a rural County Executive came asking for Promise Cyber School to teach 120 elementary school students scattered in ten tiny rural schools (each school has less than 100 kids).

     This April, newly elected Korean President Lee visited President Bush at Camp David. Knowing that the newly elected Korean President had promised to provide English speaking teachers for every English class during school hours, I wrote two letters- one for President Bush and the other for President Lee- to let them know about virtual English classes as a solution for President Lee’s promise to his people and sent the letters to Mr. Thomas Donohue of US Chamber of Commerce asking him to deliver the letter. Although I sent the letter, I had not believed that my letters will be really delivered to the two Presidents. Lo and behold! I received a letter from US Chamber of Commerce telling me that those letters were delivered to the Presidents!

     Our hope is to raise Promise Cyber School as one of the most respected international education provider and promote excellent education for every student in every nation . We have dealt with many challenges and are facing a lot more, but we have taken one step at a time and will continue to do so.