You Can Do it

By Cat Ho

What do you think good teaching involves? Is it just about getting the subject you’re teaching across to your students? Is it just about telling them what to do and when to do it? Or is it also about being there and making sure they see a future with the topic you’re giving them knowledge about? Using the tools that you’ve given them when they get older.

 Seeing that you’ve actually made an impact in your life as not just a teacher, but also as a role model. Once you think about it, it’s beautiful. 

I am happy to introduce you to Mr. Lin. Or as his friends call him, Kevin Lin. He is an English teacher at Yerba Buena High School, and as any one who have met him before, he truly loves his job.

I have actually been in his class and so was my older sister who is now in college. She was in his class when she was in CCA. Let me tell you, he is one of the most inspiring and admirable teachers ever. Being in his class actually taught me a lot. His enthusiasm when he presents his slides speaks so much determination and passion. 

You can clearly see how hard he tries to not only educate his pupils but also to entertain them and to make sure that they enjoy the different aspects of English. 

Lin: “Let’s be honest, you’re gonna have years where you have trouble with some students. You’re gonna have years where you have trouble with some admin or another teachers are giving you a hard time or whatever. It’s all humans. It’s not like computers program where you can solve it after a few hours. So those are the challenges, those are the things I dislike. And dislike meaning they frustrate me. But I know that’s a part of the job. 

When it comes to the likings, I think that when you become more and more of an adult, it’s easy to become stuck in your circle and jaded. And I think it’s cool to see young people still try. Young people are not perfect but adults are not perfect too. But it’s nice to see that young people are open about their failures. I think older people will blame other things. Or they find something to hate on; it’s not that young people don’t do that either but I think young people are more open minded in terms of like, how they can grow and older people are more stubborn and stuck in one place. It’s nice to see that atmosphere.”

Mr. Lin doesn’t see teaching as just a job where it feels like a chore, he views it as interaction and creating a connection with young adults. His classes are full of life. When you see someone that loves what they do and is able to share their knowledge and experiences with the people around them, it is truly a beautiful sight and we should appreciate those little things.

Being in Mr. Lin’s class gave me an idea on how beautiful writing is. Not just writing, but English in general. I feel like a lot of people… when they think of English, they immediately think “essays” or long paragraphs blotched up on a screen. And you’re just staring at it, not knowing what to do or where to start if you’re the one writing. 

However, I do think that English can be something that is personal to you. Not just a general subject. It doesn’t need to be something where it feels forced or you have to write what your teacher wants you to write. I understand, it can be tiring. But as we develop and as our minds evolve, we are able to perceive writing and books as something that is a part of our daily lives. It’s what we see every day. When you write, you’re expressing yourself and how you feel about a certain topic. So basically, it’s yours. YOU are in control.

Lin: “…I think one thing that I want students to know is that writing is something that goes with maturity. Honestly if I didn’t teach you how to read and write or another teacher didn’t teach you, just you growing up and exposing yourself to various texts and other forms of writing will naturally make you stronger.  I think that as your brain matures, it is synced with how you’re able to perceive information and knowledge. I’m not too worried about teaching skills cause I think a lot of students are actually better than they think. I read a lot of teachers testimonies about how bad students are and how unskilled they are. Maybe to some degree, they’re not there yet. But I think there’s an equal that students can do things. That’s what I want students to know. That you CAN do it. You have the ability to do it.”

Mr. Lin has taught me that obviously education is something that can be stressful and the system isn’t the best and at times, it can be overwhelming. Nonetheless, we shouldn’t take that out on these amazing teachers who want us to succeed and take the time to make sure that we feel seen and understood. Not just in our academics, but regarding our feelings as well. I think that’s extremely important to recognize. 

Teachers like Mr. Lin aren’t doing this because they HAVE to, they’re doing this to help us get to where we want to be in life. I think as human beings, we’re all learning something and just trying to figure out where our path is taking us. I think we should realize that teachers are humans too. We aren’t any different than them.