Interview with Ms. Zhou YiYe

Interviewee: Ms. Zhou

Interviewers：Karen 10(7), Pun 10(5), Danni 10(2)

Writer: Danni 10(2)

Danni (D): There are at least two years ahead of us before college, but until then, we’ll have to take standardized tests, such as the SATs and Tofel. What could be the possible difficulties awaiting us?

Ms. Zhou (Z): Humph...In SAT I, the reading section is usually the hardest part for the students I’ve seen. If you want to ace it, you’ll have to try to build your vocabularies and really improve your reading techniques.

D: Do recommend your students to take out-of-school study classes on SATs?

Z: Well…it’s likely that you’ll improve a bit after taking these classes, so that you can get a higher score. But it’s hardly significant for long-term, fundamental improvement on the English subject.

Karen (K): Should we focus on memorizing vocabularies?

Z: Definitely! 10^th-graders should be doing the preparations right now! 

D: Teenagers at our age are just rebellious. Any comments/suggestions?

Z: Umm…when I was still in high school, I had the urges to rebel as well, especially after bad fights with my mom. I knew it wouldn’t hurt to go along with the plans, but I just couldn’t help feeling rebellious. What I’m trying to say is that it all depends on how you look at things. You might want to be bad, or you might not. So, try looking at things differently, everything would seem lighter and easier.

D: Yeah…Anyways, for a student who has been having a rough time, let’s say dealing with a bad breakup or facing family crisis, what would you do to make him/her feel better?

Z: Well, I’d offer help and guidance. But sometimes it takes more than that to recover. It takes time. Guess it would be best to watch and see if I can help as she tries to get better on her own.

Pun (P): Do you approve of girls and boys hanging out together?

Z: I think it’s okay for boys and girls to socialize with each other as long as it’s a healthy relationship. People were more conserved when I was still high school, and it was considered very inappropriate. But for kids today, I think it’s not a bad thing. I mean hanging out with both boys and girls shows that you sociable and the more sociable you’re now, the easier it would be for you to step into the real world after you get a job. So I think it’s okay to do that as long as the relationship is under control. 

K: What do you think you’ve gained most from teaching in this school?

Z: hum…*long pause*…learning that the students I teach are all wonderful and adorable kids, perhaps? I mean when I first got here, I thought they were a bit too animated and couldn’t really get use to that. But later, I’ve gotten to see how amazing they were and have learned to love this quality. Director Cheng always tells the teachers around here that kids are meant to be playful; otherwise they’re just not kids! And that’s when I’ve learned to think from my student’s perspective and to be more caring.

K: Tell us more about Director Cheng!!

Z: I think Director Cheng is a very caring teacher, although he might seem a bit scary to you sometimes. He’s actually really nice around us, and he always reminds us to try to love and care for every single student we have. We can tell that he genuinely loves the students and it’s really touching.

K: Do you (and the other teachers) gossip?

Z: Ha-ha…Well, teaching isn’t exactly the easiest task. So we’ll take our time to relax and have some snack on our free time. And of course, we do gossip. (D: About what?) Mostly about celebrities stuff, and sometimes the latest global news.

K: Thanks for your time and cooperation!