Bryan Mims

I teach Grades 2 to 6 in Busan and design the systems around my lessons.

American teacher, in Korea since 2008. DC K-6 license, M.Ed. in TESOL. Open to international school positions starting Fall 2027, elementary through secondary.

  • 24 forty-minute periods a week, in classes of 16 to 22
  • A 24-list vocabulary curriculum for the whole school
  • Co-founder of Banhana English, with 80% client retention
Portrait of Bryan Mims
Bryan Mims, Busan

Selected work

Four projects, each with its own page. Where an AI system wrote the code, the card says so, and says what I designed.

One vocabulary curriculum for a whole school

Six grades, four levels each, 24 lists built once and reused every term. Tests and answer keys print from a single source.

Curriculum design and test sequencing: me. Document pipeline code: Claude, under my direction.

Read the vocabulary case study

Fifteen interactive lessons for the classroom TV

Built for Grades 2, 3, 4, and 6 and used in real class periods. The case study page includes a live sample of the interface.

Design rules and specification: me. Code: Claude, under my direction.

See the lesson builder

Team points, spent by the team

Points go to the whole team for team behavior, and the team decides together how to spend them. The system is still new, and the case study says plainly what I have and have not measured.

System design and daily use: me.

Read the classroom management case study

Growth Spiral: tracking skills across a term In development

Photos of student work go in, and scores by skill land in a spreadsheet, tracked by student over time. It will connect to Writing Helper for second-draft feedback.

Pipeline design and rubrics: me. Code: Claude, under my direction.

Read about Growth Spiral

Where I teach

Dongsung Elementary School, Busan

April 2026 to present. Grades 2 to 6, EAL and ELA.

The course carries an EAL label, but the work runs at full ELA level: formal compositions, business proposals, and literature analysis covering theme, character, foreshadowing, and symbolism. I level students with TOEIC Bridge scores and regroup them by vocabulary test results.

I took this post on purpose. About a year inside a full school day gives me a classroom record that other people can check.

Banhana English, Busan

Co-Founder and Head Teacher, 2016 to present.

I co-founded Banhana English with my wife, who is also a teacher. It is a two-person school. I still teach there, and 80% of clients stay.

Background

Education and licensure

  • Elementary Education Teacher License (K-6), Washington DC (OSSE), issued December 2025
  • M.Ed. in TESOL, Framingham State University, 2013
  • TESOL Certificate (160 hours), University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 2010
  • B.S. in Communications, Appalachian State University, 2006
  • Pursuing a secondary math endorsement

Earlier in Korea

  • Arrived in Busan in July 2008
  • Taught at Dong-A University, Busan, from 2016 to March 2026
  • Outstanding Teacher Award, Pukyong National University, 2013 and 2014

Contact

Email is the fastest way to reach me. I am in Busan (UTC+9) and happy to arrange interviews around your time zone.

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