By Topstone Liang ’18

What led you to choosing US?

I’m not sure if I chose US or US chose me. I got a phone call from Mr. Malkin’s wife, who was a translator like myself, and she said that they were looking for a part-time French teacher and she asked if I would be interested. So I decided that it would be kind of an interesting change for me, and I applied for the job. I had an interview with Mr. Gallagher, Dr. Manea, and Mr. Frerichs and I was hired. Another reason was that it was only 10 minutes from my house so it was really convenient. And that’s why I’m here.

How have you enjoyed the environment here at US?

I liked it a lot. I liked the all-boy environment. I think that it is really helpful for the boys. I think that they are more open and they are more willing to share. Because I have two sons, it’s become an easy transition for me. I also liked my department and the other teachers I work with. It’s a really intellectual and open-minded group of people and I really enjoy the environment here.

What are your expectations for your students in terms of learning goals?

I like to focus on proficiency. My goal is for them to be able to communicate in the language and obviously grammar being accurate plays into that. But the most important thing is that they could go to France or go to any French speaking country and communicate and make their needs known and get around, and that hopefully will take them to a higher level where they are on a higher level of communication. So those are my goals.

What are some activities that you enjoy outside of the school?

Outside of school, let’s see, I like to read and I like to go to the movies. I have two sons who play baseball and I enjoy baseball as well. So I watch a lot of baseball. I watch my sons’ games and I like to go to baseball games. I like to ski and I like to ride horses.

Lastly, what do you want to accomplish in your time at US?

What I want to accomplish is…Dr. Manea and I have plans to sort of revamp the French language program with a focus on proficiency. Therefore, we would like to change the program a little bit and I would like to build up the French program so that it’s stronger, resulting in more students enrolling into French.