Racial Clarity

November 21, 2015.Reading time 1 minute.

Race can often be a touchy subject, but as a biracial person, I often feel like I have a certain level of immunity when it comes to this subject. I don’t, in truth. If anything, I probably have more responsibility than the average person to handle this subject well. PRESSURE. (Good thing pressure generally just […]

Teacher Life: Articulating Emotions

November 17, 2015.Reading time 10 minutes.

Yesterday I sent a kid out of the classroom with whom I have a love-hate relationship. He can be quite explosive, disruptive, and even violent at times, but I also have this genuine affection for him. And I think he likes me, too.

Teacher Life: Working Through Conflict

November 10, 2015.Reading time 6 minutes.

Last week, I saw an ugly side of one of my young students. English name of Brian. He is normally very cute and engaged during class (and I may even subconsciously favor him sometimes..). He just has the kind of attractive personality that makes you want to call on him all the time.

Made For More

November 4, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

Sometimes I feel like I was made for more, more than what my current life is. Recently I’ve been feeling it rather strongly––this nagging sensation that I have more potential inside me than I’m tapping into. And that nagging feeling is leading to frustration. Could this just be Millennial hubris (as my brother has been saying)? Am I just another example of Why Generation […]

Teacher Life: The Whisper Technique

October 31, 2015.Reading time 1 minute.

This week my voice got hoarse, which made it difficult to speak loudly during class, which made me realize how much I rely on yelling to control my classroom. Since that fallback was no longer an option, I resorted to a technique my roommate has mentioned a few times. It’s called the whisper technique. I started talking […]

When Sickness Hits: Some Tips

October 27, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

Since cold and flu season is upon us (or at least upon me), I thought I’d help out the world by posting some of the epiphanies that have come to me during the last week of being sick. Here are some tips: 1. Don’t give in. Some friends swear by the “deny sickness at all costs” […]

Smashing Cockroaches

August 19, 2015.Reading time 3 minutes.

The other night, I had a slightly traumatic experience: I entered my bedroom just in time to see a huge cockroach leap right into my bed!! To give some context, I sleep on the floor (on a mat that Koreans call a yo). I also sleep inside a pop-up mosquito tent with a zip-up flap door. […]

Why We Need Sadness

August 13, 2015.Reading time 2 minutes.

I cried a fountain while watching Inside Out. The movie is a surprisingly profound look at loss and the ways loss changes us…