What motivated you to become a teacher?
I love working with young people. I was initially trained as a math teacher. I was not a good math student when I was in high school, but my experience of studying math in college changed how I view math. I realized that everyone has the potential to learn and understand math. I have also been teaching Mandarin Chinese for four years at Wheaton Academy. It is my privilege to share my own culture, language, and stories with my students. As I teach, I hope I can show students how God reveals his truth among people and stories in another culture.

What are your favorite moments with students?
In Math class, my favorite moments with students are when I see them making connections. Students often think math is a subject with many tedious rules and steps. I love it when students can explore and discover some theorems or rules on their own.

My favorite moments in Chinese classes are our weekly “culture time.” During our “Culture Time,” I got to introduce different topics of Chinese culture, like history, geography, religion, etc. I love to see students become passionate and start making connections with the things they learned in other classes.

What is the most important life lesson you want your students to learn in your class?
I want my students to learn that each one of them has the potential and capacity to learn math or a foreign language—even one that is so different from their own. During the learning process, I hope that students get to see the complexity of this world that God created and how both math and languages reflect God’s consistency, faithfulness, His steadfast love, and mercy.

Why are you passionate about the subject(s) that you teach?
I am passionate about the subjects that I teach because they both reveal God’s truth. Mathematics shows the hidden beauty of God’s creation. Mandarin Chinese is the official language of one of the oldest nations in this world. At Wheaton Academy, we also have about 40 international students from China who speak Mandarin. I hope that understanding, even just a little bit, the Chinese language and culture will help our students to reach out to the Chinese international students and help them connect and understand them better.

What advice do you have for parents considering Christian education?
I believe that all parents want the best for their own children and God has the same intention for us. Christian education encourages students to view and understand our world in the light of God’s truth. Students here will experience academic rigor through a Biblical lens.