"Mr. Chan is able to demonstrate to the class what is needed in college. He is also a fun person and very enjoyable. He loves the things he does. He is really passionate about the things he teaches."

"He is very friendly and outgoing and really interested in you as a person. He has a planned schedule of what to do during the discussion time, and is willing to mix it up or do something else if the students feel the time would be better used doing something else."

"I like how he wanted to create a connection for everyone by doing icebreakers everyday."

"Mr. Chan is extremely personable and tries hard to make class interesting, in contrast with some of the lectures. He is also very intelligent and well spoken and I hoped that discussion would be a bit longer so that the students could get to know him more. He is very engaging as well and keeps the student's attention."

"He was good at sending out emails and responding to them. It was very easy to communicate with him. He knew the course material well, knew all of the students, and was friendly."

"Fair grader, made the class exciting by playing games while incorporating information."

"He was helpful and communicates well with students."

"Was always talkative and asked how I was doing - actually cared what the answers was."

"Very friendly, explains information really well."

"You are so upbeat and positive."

"Easily accessible and responsive to questions."

"I love running into you on campus. You have such a great attitude and outlook on life."

"Very enthusiastic and friendly to students."

"Very nice person. Great Guy!"

"Roy! You're always so full of life. I love being around with you."

"You are funy and silly."

"You're the man, Roy!"

"You are sucha kind person and always have a warm smile on your face."

"He's funny!"

"I really enjoy Roy's initiation and optimism."

"You are so outgoing! That is awesome!"

"I like your positive attitude in life...it is very refreshing!"

"Roy...you are amazing, keepy up the good work."

"Roy! I like your website!!"

"Roy's dedication to the study of ideas and the ideals of liberal arts forms an excellent foundation for whatever he plans to do in the future. He obviously have the talent and determination to make a success of whatever the future holds for you. Roy and his family should be very proud of the academic record he have completed here at UC Irvine."  ~ Dr. Judy Shoemaker, Director of Division of Undergraduate Education Assessment and Research Studies

Teaching in Urban Schools

      Entering as my fifth year undergraduate student at UCI, one of my strongest beliefs within education system is the need for a standard of excellence to be expected and demanded from schools in areas that have frequently been viewed as underprivileged; location, background, and appearance are no excuse for a compromised standard of excellence.  Educators must encourage and insist upon high achievement in every situation, in every school, and at every level.

      My educational experiences, while at the University of California at Irvine, have contributed to the shaping of my perspectives as a Educational Studies minor, where the Department of Education stresses the importance of addressing issues of social justice within the public school system.  While frequently becoming a vague and esoteric concept, it is my belief that social justice is simply going where a need exists.  Unfortunately, I feel that it is sometimes skewed into unrealistic goals, misinterpreted as a singular and specific act or event, or worse, patronization.  Social justice, as I appreciate it, is an understanding that the education of those who are "in need" should be addressed with priority.

      In addition to my educational background, my teaching experiences at Peking University at Beijing, China last summer 2007 have been "real world" tests and applications of this social justice model of education.  What the school have in common is a culturally and socioeconomically diverse student population, but at the core, these students are no different than those in Los Angeles, Irvine, and other areas with statistically middle- to upper-class suburban neighborhoods. They depend on the guidance, encouragement, teaching, advice, and counsel of those around them, both of their peers and teachers.  What is different, however, is the stigma of mediocrity and sub par expectations that we allow ourselves to hold over urban areas.  Instead of accepting this disparity as a Darwinian exercise of the "survival of the fittest", we should seek to address these differences and strive to provide more accessible opportunities for success.  Reality dictates that these differences will never be entirely accommodated and that a perfect equality is difficult, if not impossible.  However, raising the bar of expectation within these urban schools and also providing the means to clear that bar, is not out of the question but an entirely reasonable goal.

      Perhaps it is a wide-eyed ideal that only new teachers maintain.  Nevertheless, it is the one that I choose to believe.  It is my commitment; one that I hope will never be compromised.  The change that I might incur on the world with this perspective is minute, perhaps microscopic, likely to go entirely unnoticed.  However, the change that I might incur on an individual who realizes his/her true potential -- I'm willing to invest my entire career in that.

Teaching English Internationally

1) International Teaching Employment

2) Evaluating An Overseas Opportunity

3) What Is A Teaching Method

4) Building Trust In A Foreign Language Classroom

5) Communicative Acitivities And Games For Learning