Yuping Wang

Updated March 9, 2023

How many years have you been teaching in general?
I’m from Taiwan, so I taught in Taiwan for three or four years. I also taught in Needham for one year and in Lexington for four years. So the total is nine years [of teaching experience.]

Why did you choose to come teach at Wayland?
It’s close to my house. I live in Sudbury, so it is only a seven minute drive. I also know Wayland is a very good school district. The other reason is, my friend teaches Mandarin at Wayland Middle School, so we can teach together.

Why did you choose to teach Mandarin?
I’m a native Mandarin speaker and I like working with teenagers. I like Chinese, and I want to help introduce Chinese culture to American kids to help them learn more about Chinese culture. [Specifically, I want to help them learn about] the moon festival, Chinese New Year and the core values like Confucius.

Update: I’m from Taiwan, a native Mandarin speaker. I want to build a learning environment for students to study Mandarin with enthusiasm and success and open a window to understand one of the richest and the most ancient civilizations. My students will also learn the history, cultural values, philosophical and religious beliefs and beauty of Chinese art. They build up their proficiency level through rigid curriculum and a variety of activities inside and outside the classroom.

Do you hope to get involved in a club or other leadership position at the school?
If there’s a Chinese club or Asian culture club, I would like to help.

Update: I established the National Chinese Honor Society to promote and recognize students who are devoted to Mandarin, demonstrate citizenship, leadership, and community service. Also, the organization encourages students to become life-long learners in order to gain a better understanding of Chinese language and culture, as well as to play an active role as a contributing global citizen in the twenty-first century.

What was your first impression of the school?
The students and my colleagues here are very nice and I feel very welcome here. It’s an open space. In my previous school, we stayed in our own classroom and we didn’t have a lot of chances to interact with others. Here, we aren’t assigned to the same classroom and we have more chances to interact with others. I feel it is good to know other teachers and to know other students.

Do you have any specific goals for your first year teaching here?
[My goal is to] get to know the school and my students. I’m trying to make my Mandarin class interesting to attract more students.

Do you have anything you want to share with your students like hobbies?
I like biking and hiking. I go biking with my family at least once a week, and I go hiking in New Hampshire during the long weekends.

Do you have anything else you want to add about your class?
I welcome everyone to the Mandarin class. I want to invite more students if they are interested in Chinese culture or the language.