By Jack and Eric Miranda, Staff Writer
From the island of Taiwan to the Monkey Island of University School, Su-Jane Chen brings an innovative teaching style to the students at University School.
Mrs. Chen grew up in Taiwan and went to college to study Chinese language and literature. After graduating, she taught at a Taiwanese high school for 11 years. She met her husband during this time period, and in 1980, they came to the United States for him to study aero-space engineering. When they moved to the US, Mrs. Chen could not find a school in which she could teach Chinese because there were no programs in Ohio yet. Mrs. Chen then decided to go back to school to get a math degree and taught math for 11 years. Eventually, Laurel School hired her to start its Chinese Language program. She was at Laurel School for 3 years and then moved to the West Side of Cleveland when her husband started working at the NASA Lewis Research Center (now called the NASA Glenn Center). Mrs. Chen then went on to start the Chinese Language program at Magnificat, an all-girls private Catholic school on the West Side. Finally, she came to University School to teach Chinese.
Mrs. Chen believes that Chinese is one of best languages to learn. She explains: “China has a 5000-year-old history to discover.” Mrs. Chen knows that in her class, people will discover how interesting this language really is. “Every traditional character has its own story to tell so when I teach, I tell that story. I don’t teach like other teachers. I explain how a picture becomes a character. No other teacher explains picture words.” She believes that once a person gets past the view that Chinese is hard, students will learn how fun it is.
Outside of school, Mrs. Chen pursues her own interests. From writing Chinese calligraphy to drawing and brush painting, Mrs. Chen practices a variety of skills. Further, she enjoys reading ancient Chinese philosophy books and poems. Moreover, she loves spending time with her family. Lastly, she enjoys cooking her own food, typically Chinese dishes. However, she’ll occasionally treat herself by going out to drink bubble tea, a delicious, tea based smoothie with chewy jellies inside called tapioca.
Mrs. Chen also wants to restart the China trip at University School. Mrs. Chen believes that this trip is essential because it immerses students in the true culture of China. She explains that you can only learn so much in a classroom, but experiencing the culture is another great way to learn. If all goes well, a group of University School boys will join a group from Laurel School to China during Spring Break.
