“My liberal arts education at UVM helped me build a wide range of skills, from critical thinking to creative writing.”
Majors: Chinese and Economics
Lives in: Tainan, Taiwan
What work looks like: “I co-teach cultural exchange classes at a public junior high school in Tainan, Taiwan. We design interactive lesson plans with the goal of helping students build confidence speaking English.”
What he loves about it: “On Teacher’s Appreciation Day, homeroom teachers passed out bingo sheets with prompts like “the teacher whose class you would miss the most during a typhoon day.” Students were instructed to find the teacher who matched the prompt, ask them to sign the square, and hand over a small snack to show their appreciation. I had been teaching for less than a month, so when Kevin asked me to sign the “typhoon day” square, it came as a pleasant surprise. A few minutes later, Max handed me a sweet rice cracker after I wrote my name in the “teacher who makes learning fun” box. By the end of the day, my pockets were filled with tokens of my students’ appreciation. Moments like these are what I love about my job.”
What he gained from a liberal arts education: “My liberal arts education at UVM helped me build a wide range of skills, from critical thinking to creative writing. The skill that has mattered to me most, though, is communication. It has helped me write clear, concise applications, and I utilize it every day in my classroom. As a teacher, part of my job is to take a concept and strip it down to its simplest form. If I can't communicate effectively, my students will let me know very quickly.”