Meet Mr. Yim

Mr. Michael Yim was born in Hackettstown, NJ to Korean-American parents. Shortly after his birth, Mr. Yim's family moved to Morris Plains, New Jersey. He attended public school and graduated from Parsippany Hills High School as a college-bound student and varsity athlete in wrestling. He still enjoys training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, and Muay Thai. Mr. Yim is currently coaching Kids Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes afterschool and on the weekends. 

Yim studied at Montclair State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology with Teacher Certification (K-6) and student taught in the Randolph Township at Shongum School. He is also currently certified in Middle School Mathematics and Social Studies Endorsement. 

Mr. Yim found his passion for education serving as a Corps Member for JumpStart at Montclair State- a program designed to promote children’s school success in lower-income/district. The program allowed him as a college student to demonstrate his commitment to education at McKinley School in Newark, NJ. The experience lead to an amazing experience working with Newark Mayor, Ras Baraka during the annual Read Across America celebration. In result, these efforts resulted in a student award through the University, winning the Cooperative Education Student of the Year Award for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. 

Additionally, he is a former Sensory-Motor/Cognitive Coach at the Brain Balance Achievement Center of Allendale, New Jersey. The program is a non-medicinal program for students with behavioral, developmental and academic challenges. Growing up with an older brother and having two cousins who are diagnosed with autism-spectrum disorder, the program and his family continue to influence him to bring out the best in each child and improve their home lives.

Mr. Yim started as an Instructional Aide at Washington School where he served in a 5th Grade classroom. In this capacity, he primarily worked one-on-one with a special-needs student but also assisted the classroom teacher, Gregory Meluson, on a daily basis with many of the classroom activities. Among other things, Mr. Yim supplemented the regular classroom lessons and procedures to contribute to a more supportive and effective learning environment. Yim also taught during Summer Academy with students of various age ranges. While working with these students, he was able to further enhance his instructional abilities and fine-tune his teaching skills.

Mr. Yim was later hired as a full-time fourth-grade teacher at Washington School. In the years that followed, Mr. Yim became an integral part of the school community. He taught in the district’s Accelerated Learning Program (ALP), challenging advanced learners with rigorous and engaging instruction. Outside of regular classroom hours, he led a third-grade afterschool STEM enrichment class, where students explored hands-on science and engineering projects.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he joined the district’s Pandemic Response Team, supporting students and families through an unprecedented time. He also completed Elevation training to better meet the needs of multilingual learners in his classroom. Mr. Yim served on the district’s math curriculum committee, helping to align instruction with state standards and best practices. He also launched the annual "Yimtendo" coding project, where students design and showcase their own video games, blending creativity with digital literacy. 

In recognition of his dedication, innovation, and leadership, Mr. Yim was awarded the Governor’s Educator of the Year Award for the 2024–2025 school year. He was honored at a Board of Education meeting and later recognized at the Bergen County Educators Association Luncheon.

He continues to expand his knowledge as an educator and pursues a career in future leadership positions.