Making A Mark

I’m an elementary school teacher in Taiwan.
I teach Mandarin, and I’ve been doing so for five years.

Can you share any interesting encounters you’ve had with students?
The kids are very adorable in the way they speak, or reply to questions. Once, a student passed me a note saying that I was the most stylish teacher they’d ever met.

What’s something silly or untrue that you used to believe as a child?
I used to believe ghosts were everywhere around us, thanks to a friend who liked to tell me ghost stories,  and play a game called ‘钱仙’ (‘coin spirit’, said to be a means of summoning ghosts). I believed that ghosts would possess your body and occupy your soul if you did bad things, but when I grew up, I think if I do something I would just want to distance myself from ghosts, because it’s ridiculous.

What is one good habit you think people should form early in life?
I think everyone should review their day and find something to improve on every day. We all make mistakes, but learning from them is important, because a failure that goes unexamined will lead to another. So even when I’m feeling lazy, I still find time to reflect on my day before I sleep. I think about the mistakes I made that day, and how I can do better, and that’s how I can make tomorrow better than today.

Describe your style in three words.
Simple, clean, and refreshing.