I recently had an op-ed piece printed in the Boston Globe, a copy of which sits framed in my kitchen. What was the topic, you may ask-- Educational reform initiatives in Boston's pilot schools, a call for our local media to focus less on the tragic stories of our city streets and more on the lives of the young community activists who I have been lucky to help educate. Rich topics, for sure, but no—it was a response to a food section article that critiqued Chinese food as a 'sodium-laden mess.' In my short piece, I made sure to make the distinction between Chinese and Chinese-American food and ended with the offer for me to 'call mom' if Globe readers had any questions about the difference. Curious—no one has written me yet.

I've learned when you need to go to the true experts in the field of education. In my 10 years of teaching, I know these experts are not necessarily the traditional authorities of a district curriculum, principals or school boards, but often colleagues, parents, and my students—who have always been quick to tell me what they think their education should be about.

Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Northern Virginia, I am my parents' second child. My father emigrated from Taiwan as a scholarship student in engineering and my mother came to the U.S. from Malaysia to have a risky surgical operation, one that my cousin still tears up about when she recalls the story. From Green Acres elementary to my secondary education at McLean High School, I eventually made my way through William and Mary as a history major.

I feel fortunate to have received a strong public education and I have been committed to continuing that tradition. I spent the first two years of my teaching life as a wilderness therapeutic counselor (or chief, as the kids called us) for adjudicated youth at the edge of the Uwharrie National forest in North Carolina. Imagine a circle of sullen boys sitting in a 'huddle' in an early winter rain, cursing their lot, all too often each other, and glaring at Chief James. After that formative experience, I rewarded myself by attending Brown University to learn the craft of teaching, to take advanced history coursework, and for the luxury of indoor plumbing.

Moving to the Boston area, I taught history for one year at Concord Academy and then made my way to my real interest in teaching—the urban context of the Boston Public Schools. I taught for four years at the Boston Day and Evening Academy, a competency, diploma-granting high school for over-aged students. I then was hired to develop and teach the senior capstone course at the Boston Community Leadership Academy, one of Boston’s small pilot schools. The hallmarks of my work with my BCLA students included the focus on community leadership, service-learning initiatives with community-based partners, and the pride my students have in writing their 40-page research papers and completing their digital portfolios. Along the way, I’m also happy to have earned my National Board certification in social studies and history. I look forward to being an active alum with the Teaching Ambassador Fellowship through the U.S. Department of Education.

My future teaching path and career in education continue to unfold. Currently, I am working as a peer assistant in the Boston Public Schools, the result of a unique partnership between the school district and the Boston Teachers Union to provide targeted, collegial support to other teachers in the schools across the city. I feel fortunate to serve on the History/Social Studies Standards Review Committee for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, for which we are reviewing and rewriting the organization’s national history frameworks. I am also working on teacher leadership initiatives primarily by advocating for and designing professional development offerings and trainings in the Boston Public Schools.

Beyond teaching, I enjoy eating Chinese food (and Chinese-American food, occasionally), biking about the city, and offering mangoes to special neighbors who deserve them.