From September 2023 to July 2024, I worked as a G11 and G12 English Language and Literature teacher at WLSA Shanghai Academy, overseeing four English sections and a total of 80 students.
In my role as an instructor, I worked to modernize and diversify the existing curriculum. Leveraging a broad knowledge of contemporary literature, art, and media, I helped create a more engaging educational environment. Here’s a bit about the experience:
G11 OVERVIEW AND HIGHLIGHTS
The objective of the G11 course was to prepare students for the AP Language and Composition Exam, strengthen their reading and writing skills, and get them ready for their senior year.
The fall semester comprised five units:
Rhetorical Analysis
Argumentation
Literary Analysis (where we read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby)
A short story unit featuring four contemporary short stories
During the spring semester, we built upon these units, using The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric as a core text to prep students for the AP Exam. We also continued our exploration of literature through readings of short stories, essays, articles, and poetry.
The short story unit was a favorite of mine. Drawing on an extensive knowledge of the short story form, I shaped the course by bringing in new and diverse voices, introducing students to Octavia Butler’s Bloodchild, Samanta Schweblin’s Headlights, Bora Chung’s Cursed Bunny, and Karen Russell’s Reeling for the Empire. Each week, we explored a new critical lens or framework, tackling ideas such as magical realism, Korean revenge tales, Afrofuturism, and postcolonial theory.
G12 OVERVIEW AND HIGHLIGHTS
The G12 course aimed to prepare students for the U.S. university classroom and strengthen their literary foundation through a curriculum centered on existentialism.
Over the course of the year, we read Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club, and a selection of short stories and nonfiction pieces. For the short story segment, we read John Cheever’s The Swimmer, Raymond Carver’s Fat and Neighbors, J.D. Salinger’s A Perfect Day for Bananafish, and Tobias Wolff’s Bullet in the Brain.
Something that I think added depth to my practice (in both G11 and G12) was incorporating an interdisciplinary approach. Throughout the year, I introduced students to visual artists whose work echoed the themes and ideas we were covering, including Wangechi Mutu, Remedios Varo, Lee Bul, and Chiharu Shiota.
So there’s a bit about my experience. Shoot me an email if you want to hear more!