Each month, the community nominates their favorite teachers and educators from the St. Louis region to be the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Teacher of the Month. December’s winner is Edrin Chen, a Chinese language teacher at Kirkwood High School in the Kirkwood school district. Ms. Chen received a $250 gift card courtesy of Elco-Chevrolet Cadillac.
Describe your teaching experience.
I have been teaching for almost 14 years. I got my start at the St. Louis Chinese Academy teaching Mandarin Chinese and for the last 12 years, I have been teaching at Kirkwood High School. Being from Taiwan, I was so excited to share the language and the culture with my students. I believe that learning a language helps students see the world in a different light. I learn just as much from the students as they learn from me.
What is your teaching style?
My favorite part of my classes is my students. I love to experience so many different personalities and help each student find their strength and reach their goals. That being said, I would describe my teaching style as fun and student-centered. I use a lot of humor in my classroom because I think making the students laugh helps them enjoy school, stay engaged and learn in general. I always try to find creative ways, tools and apps to help students learn the Chinese language.
Describe the goals you have for your students.
My goal for my students is to have fun and feel safe and comfortable while learning a different language. When their time with me is done, I want them to know that I really care and want the best for them. I truly value their time and opinions. I sincerely hope that I am able to make a positive and lasting impact on their lives.
Your nominator spoke of you making a difficult language fun to learn. Can you elaborate on this?
The Chinese language is a tonal language that has a unique structure and pronunciation system that is quite different from English. Chinese is made up of tens of thousands of characters, each with its own meaning, and often multiple pronunciations. This makes the language extremely challenging to learn, especially for non-native speakers.
The most important thing for the students to do when learning a language is to speak it. They will make mistakes but that is normal. English is my second language, and I am still learning and making mistakes every day. Both teaching and learning languages is about having fun and communicating with the world around us. We embrace the errors and mistakes in my classroom. And my job is to make the learning process fun and interesting so that the students are able to enjoy what they are learning. We often play language games, watch movies, listen to music and let students play in a skit by creating their own script to make the learning more connected to their lives.
Do you have any special projects you are working on?
In the Chinese program, we have an annual field trip to visit a Buddhist temple, as well as an Asian grocery store. We also have lunch at a local Chinese restaurant during the Lunar New Year. During this field trip, students get to connect with Chinese language and culture in our community. Seeing the students enjoy the field trip, learning about the different cultures and sharing what they’ve learned with their families and friends makes the job all worth it.
How do you feel about being Teacher of the Month?
I feel extremely grateful, lucky and honored because there are so many great teachers in the St. Louis area. It feels so awesome to be recognized for your work. I would like to give a big shout out to my World Language team at Kirkwood High School because they help me become a better teacher every day. I can’t wait to share this award with my Mom and family in Taiwan. I hope that I’ve made my Dad proud while he is watching over the Chen family in heaven.
To nominate a teacher for the Teacher of the Month program, visit STLtoday.com/contests.