I’m very pleased to be working in the Happy Marian system because we are a perfect fit. Over the years. I’ve seen quite a few different ways to run schools, and it’s nice to be at one that actually works.
The relationships I have with each of my students make me very happy. I happen to be crazy about teaching and speaking well, and it is nice to see my kids pick up that joy from me. I’ve seen so many students move ahead in the area of confidence, and the way I sometimes measure confidence is through questions. In the course of a day, I ask my students tons of questions about themselves. I know that their second language acquisition is growing when they start to ask me questions about myself. I had one boy who was very quiet for over a year, and then one day he asked, “Where do you buy your candy?” That was a very happy moment for me.
I’m very lucky to have really sweet children in my class. These guys are smart and everyone is evenly matched as far as skill levels. I’ve noticed that they are helpful to anyone who needs it, and they are never selfish. Also, when the students are playing or chatting in the halls, they all chat in English only! I haven’t seen that in other schools to the extent that it happens at our place.
I’d like to talk a bit here about how my older students go about the task of building self-confidence. I happen to have a lot of confidence speaking in front of people and I get asked a lot if I can take some and give it to others. Sure, I can. When you watch a person on a stage, they’ll appear less than confident whenever they are thinking about their mistakes. A person on a stage who doesn’t mind if they make mistakes will seem confident. So, remember, we all make mistakes, so put them out of your mind. My students do and they really shine when the spotlight is on.
It is really neat to be able to watch any single student starts learning in our system and then grows up right before my eyes. All of the students at Nangang are very hard workers and it’s great to see them tackle problems and find their own solutions.
Finally, I’d like to mention eyes. The way I teach is through eye contact. When I can see students’ eyes, I know that know that they understand new concepts.

南港校區 J3 teacher Mike Charles Riley