Personal Information
I was born and raised in the Chicago area of the United States. Like most girls in my kindergarten class, I thought it would be wonderful to be a teacher when I grew up. As a detail-oriented, organized person, I was always interested in the administrative parts of teaching (grading, keeping track of student information, scheduling, etc.), but as I got older, I realized that I didn't like public speaking and thought that precluded me from being a teacher. Instead, I thought maybe I would become a writer or an editor since I loved details and English grammar.
In my undergraduate university, I majored in English literature and loved being "forced" to read fiction for my homework! As someone who devours books, I certainly chose the perfect major. I was still interested in working as a writer or editor after I graduated, but I had also developed a new love - China!
Shortly before I started university, I visited China and Hong Kong for a few weeks. I volunteered at several English camps for teenagers and loved making Chinese friends and learning more about Chinese culture. After that trip, I knew that I wanted to live in China after I finished university. I wasn't sure how I could be a writer/editor in China, but I began making plans to go to China.
The first thing I needed to do was learn more about Chinese culture and language, so during my junior year of college, I did a study-abroad semester in China at Xiamen University. During that trip, I developed yet another new love. I began dating one of my classmates from my undergraduate university, a Chinese American named Matt who was also studying at Xiamen University that semester.
Matt and I continued to date after we returned to the US and made plans to get married and return to China after graduation. Two years after we graduated, we got married. Two years after we got married, we moved to China.
At first, we took jobs as English teachers because it was the simplest, most affordable way to get a visa. We prepared by taking TEFL certificate courses, but it was not in our long-term plans to teach. I was still thinking I'd eventually be a writer, editor, or maybe work in business. My husband planned to study Chinese intensively while teaching and to transition into a business or computer-related job as soon as his language skills were up to par. (He is now working as an IT Support Manager at an international school in Tianjin.)
Halfway through my first year of teaching in China, I realized I had developed one more love - my students. The kindness and eagerness of my students magically melted away my fear of public speaking. I remember how nervous I was on the first day of teaching. I was sweating and worried I wouldn't be able to get through the class. Now, after more than 3 years of teaching in China, I feel totally comfortable speaking in front of my students and have grown to love teaching.
It's been a long, winding road from those early days of whimsically imagining being a teacher to teaching in China today. I couldn't imagine a more fulfilling career and am grateful for the opportunity to teach my students and to learn from them as well.
In my undergraduate university, I majored in English literature and loved being "forced" to read fiction for my homework! As someone who devours books, I certainly chose the perfect major. I was still interested in working as a writer or editor after I graduated, but I had also developed a new love - China!
Shortly before I started university, I visited China and Hong Kong for a few weeks. I volunteered at several English camps for teenagers and loved making Chinese friends and learning more about Chinese culture. After that trip, I knew that I wanted to live in China after I finished university. I wasn't sure how I could be a writer/editor in China, but I began making plans to go to China.
The first thing I needed to do was learn more about Chinese culture and language, so during my junior year of college, I did a study-abroad semester in China at Xiamen University. During that trip, I developed yet another new love. I began dating one of my classmates from my undergraduate university, a Chinese American named Matt who was also studying at Xiamen University that semester.
Matt and I continued to date after we returned to the US and made plans to get married and return to China after graduation. Two years after we graduated, we got married. Two years after we got married, we moved to China.
At first, we took jobs as English teachers because it was the simplest, most affordable way to get a visa. We prepared by taking TEFL certificate courses, but it was not in our long-term plans to teach. I was still thinking I'd eventually be a writer, editor, or maybe work in business. My husband planned to study Chinese intensively while teaching and to transition into a business or computer-related job as soon as his language skills were up to par. (He is now working as an IT Support Manager at an international school in Tianjin.)
Halfway through my first year of teaching in China, I realized I had developed one more love - my students. The kindness and eagerness of my students magically melted away my fear of public speaking. I remember how nervous I was on the first day of teaching. I was sweating and worried I wouldn't be able to get through the class. Now, after more than 3 years of teaching in China, I feel totally comfortable speaking in front of my students and have grown to love teaching.
It's been a long, winding road from those early days of whimsically imagining being a teacher to teaching in China today. I couldn't imagine a more fulfilling career and am grateful for the opportunity to teach my students and to learn from them as well.