Grace Wang, originally from the North Shore of Chicago is returning to her role as an algebra teacher, after teaching at a private school for three years. She is enthusiastic to be back. In her free time, she enjoys fencing occasionally and, over the summer, she learned to use ChatGPT for her art, which now lines her new bathroom.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What is your favorite part about the high school?
I love my department. I love the diversity of BHS. And I love and really appreciate being around such passionate educators. I think that one of the strengths of the math department is that everybody’s so creative and so dedicated, and I think the students benefit from that because, professionally, we’re always learning from each other.
Has there been anything that stood out to you that changed since you were last here?
The STEM wing is awesome. That actually opened up the year I left, so I had never been in it. Twenty-two Tappan is gorgeous. So it’s weird because in three years you don’t think much has changed but, at the same time, there are two campuses and you guys are shuttling back and forth.
What is a great memory you have from high school?
You know the “Mean Girls” movie? That movie was filmed at my high school’s rival school. When I watched it, I would be like, “Oh my God, I know that place! It looks so much better on TV than it did in person.” But that makes sense.
Do you have any hopes or expectations for your students?
I hope that they find confidence. I don’t expect them all to love math. I don’t actually care if they all love math. We’re in it together for a year. So, at the end of the day, I hope that they are confident mathematicians and feel like their skills have improved. And if that’s the case, I’ll count that as a win.
If you could be any animal, which one would you be?
I like pandas. Pandas have bad reputations for being unintelligent, but I feel like they actually know how to have fun. They put themselves in this position where they are endangered, and they’ve convinced people to take care of them. So all they have to do is go and have fun and play. Or they just hobble after their keeper or they keep dumping the basket over and they don’t get in trouble.
