'Teachers 2' wrapped up without significant damage despite the question trading allegations against mentor Jo Jung-sik.
The Channel A entertainment program 'Please Help Me with My Grades: Teachers 2', which ended on the 24th, featured the story of a high school freshman who is a study novice.
On that day’s broadcast, a 'soccer prospect' who had to give up his dream of becoming a 'soccer player' due to an injury came to start studying as a 'study novice' high school freshman.
The student challenged said, "I started studying late, and it's been 6 months, but I don't know what to do. Can I catch up with my friends in 3 years when I've only known soccer my whole life?" seeking help. Since the student entered the college entrance exam race late, he was unfamiliar with many terms such as regular admission, detailed information and special activities, and mock exams. The student's parents also struggled with choosing study materials and found it difficult to understand the score report, which included raw scores, standard scores, and grades. 'Entrance Exam Strategy Mentor' Mimi Minu helped the parents understand by providing a detailed lecture on how to analyze the score report.
The 'study novice' student, who had been studying for 6 months, scored 33 points in Korean (6th grade), 50 points in Math (4th grade), and 60 points in English (5th grade) on the mock exam. Jeong Seung-jae, while looking at the score report and exam papers, noted, "The answers are wrong, but there are traces of not giving up and solving until the end. It's so beautiful," discovering the student's tenacity.
Jo Jung-sik identified that the student disliked English and lacked literacy skills, saying, "You don't like English, do you?" In the vocabulary level test that followed, the student felt barriers even with middle school vocabulary. It was diagnosed that the student, typical of lower-tier students, was memorizing words in chunks without a solid foundation.
As expected, even while studying Korean, the student struggled to understand a single sentence due to unfamiliar words. Despite a serious lack of basic vocabulary, the student read through without looking up meanings.
The student's mother, acknowledging the lack of experience with reading and the academic gap caused by sports, said, "I'm so sorry, Mom," blaming herself for not taking care of her son's studies. To his crying mother, the student reassuringly said, "From now on, I will fill in the past 10 years well. I can do it," comforting her. Han Hye-jin was also moved to tears by this scene.
To fill the student's academic gap and escape from the bottom, Jeong Seung-jae and Jo Jung-sik held a 'No-Base Camp'. Jeong Seung-jae explained, "Others have built foundational concepts over 10 years, but we will finish it in just 2 hours today," starting from elementary school shapes.
During English class, Jo Jung-sik provided the 3,000 essential English words officially designated by the 'National Education Commission'. He emphasized starting with essential vocabulary from elementary school for high school English, and the student began memorizing 50 essential words a day to fill the gap. Following that, they developed grammar and reading comprehension based on the middle school English textbook.
Yoon Hye-jung emphasized, "You should read in chunks to understand sentence units," highlighting paragraph summaries and comprehension. She added, "While the main content of the text is important, detailed information is also crucial for college entrance exam studies." To the student, who found Korean daunting, Yoon Hye-jung encouraged, "This is not just your story. Have confidence that you can do it too."
'Teachers 2' faced allegations of Jo Jung-sik's 'question trading' before its first broadcast. Nevertheless, the program concluded with all 16 solutions completed.
Jo Jung-sik was referred to the prosecution in May on charges of violating the Anti-Corruption Act and obstruction of business. According to investigative media 'Sherlock', a current high school teacher, referred to as A, allegedly made about 238 million won through question trading from 2018 to 2023, of which it is reported that Jo Jung-sik received 58 million won.
Current Ministry of Education guidelines prohibit current teachers from providing questions for academy materials, and violations can lead to dismissal or termination.
In relation to this, Jo Jung-sik's legal representatives, Choi Bong-kyun and Jeong Seong-yeop (Law Firm Pyeongan), stated in an official position in June, "Recent reports by a media outlet regarding Jo Jung-sik contain inaccuracies," asserting, "Jo Jung-sik has never directly paid the teacher involved in the case 58 million won."
They emphasized, "The case is currently undergoing a strict investigation process by the investigative agency, and the determination of the facts will be clearly revealed through the results of the future investigation."
Despite the controversy, 'Teachers 2' successfully completed all 16 solutions.
