I left Taiwan for boarding school in Boston at the age of fifteen, and later graduated from Wellesley College with a B.A. in Comparative Literature and a minor in Korean Studies. My experience at boarding school has led me to pursue a career in teaching and educating the young minds. I constantly strive to become a role model for students of diverse backgrounds. In addition, being effectively trilingual in English, Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese, and educated in Taiwan, Korea and the U.S., I have a solid understanding of both eastern and western cultures. I have also traveled extensively in China, and such experiences have broadened my perspective and enhanced my understanding of China today.

In the past four years, I taught Chinese at the Thacher School, a boarding school from grades 9th to 12th in Ojai, California. Not only did I redesign the entire curriculum to include the AP program, but I also single-handedly taught five different levels of Chinese language classes: Chinese I, II, III, IV and AP Chinese.

In the summer of 2007, I started my Masters in Chinese Language Pedagogy at Middlebury College. With the program spread over four summer sessions, I expect to complete the degree by August 2011. The Middlebury experience has provided me with the essential knowledge to identify critical issues in CFL pedagogy, particularly those applied to the learning styles of my students.

University of Virginia STARTALK Chinese Teacher Academy has again given me the valuable opportunity for professional and personal growth this summer. It has been a very rewarding experience learning from other experienced Chinese teachers who share my passion in teaching.

After the STARTALK program, I am relocating to Seoul, South Korea to teach Chinese at Seoul International School. I am looking forward to the new challenges ahead and continuing my mission in teaching Chinese as a foreign language in a new country.

Reminiscence:

University of Virginia STARTALK Chinese Teacher Academy is no doubt one of the most rewarding learning experiences I’ve ever had. The three-week session was more than just a professional development experience. Not only did the program provide me with the tools needed for examining different teaching methods and styles, but it also give me the opportunity to reflect on my own teaching and learn from other experienced teachers and educators. That being said, the support network formed through the program is what every professional Chinese teacher dreams of. I strongly recommend this STARTALK program to those who want to make a difference in the teaching of Chinese.