inspiration

By Vanessa F

What does it mean to be a teacher?

For some, it is to help kids prepare for success, or to share a passion for a subject. For Yerba Buena High School teacher Chung Khong, it is a reflective journey, and an opportunity to bring change in people’s lives.

Ironically, Mr. Khong was a horrible chemistry student. After attending UC Berkeley, Mr. Khong was extremely inspired by one of his teachers, who made him excited about chemistry. He wanted to replicate that same experience for others. According to him, science was how he knew he wanted to do it. His experience with tutoring other students also helped him come to the conclusion that teaching was the right path for him.

Khong: “I think in the end, teaching was something I thought was fun. It was a way to reach kids.”

After joining track in middle school, and being taught how to pace himself by his track coach, Mr. Khong latched onto track. Even now as an adult, he notices the same potential that his coach did.

Khong: “I think that there's a lot of undiscovered talent here at YB… You gotta work for what you want.”

Despite having taught for many years, there are still things Mr. Khong is learning.

Khong: “You work at becoming a good teacher. Because it is a journey, there are going to be bad days and there are gonna be good days. The most important thing is what did you learn from your bad day, and what did you learn from your good day? It's to be reflective about your journey.”

One lesson that Mr. Khong reflects on his experience as a young teacher is how you shouldn't handle difficult situations.

Khong: “…there could have been better ways of saying something.”

Yerba Buena High School is not known for being the richest school ever, or for having the best test scores. So, why would Mr. Khong continue to teach here for so many years?

Khong: “I believe that this is where I can live out my vocation… a vocation is something that God has asked me to do… yeah, I can teach anywhere, but also, at YB I've impacted a lot of people, and a lot of people have impacted me.”

Teaching goes both ways. Sometimes, even the student will teach the teacher. Mr. Khong has learned lessons from his students, like ones of hope, perseverance, honesty, and gratitude. Even simple ones, like being grateful, have impacted him.

Mr. Khong hopes to retire after 40 years of being a teacher. With his God-given position, he has hopes that he has done something good throughout those 40 years.

Khong: “I hope that in 40 years, I have inspired 40 people, at least one student a year, and those 40 students will inspire other people. It's not really about me, it's about the people that I reach.”

Doing the same thing that his teacher once did for him, Mr. Khong encourages others, specifically young people, to pursue teaching as a career.

Khong: “It's a noble profession. No matter where you teach, there's always children that need you, especially here at YB. This profession needs young people who understand that their success was based upon the help of other people, and now it's their turn to give back. That's how the community gets stronger.”