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Coppell Student Media

The official student news site of Coppell High School

Coppell Student Media

The official student news site of Coppell High School

Coppell Student Media

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October 26, 2023

    Chinese teacher ‘wu’s students

    By Chris Nguyen
    Features Editor

    Angelina Wu had one goal when she came to America from Taiwan 13 years ago.

    “I wanted to be the greatest singer in the world,” Wu said.

    But now, as an Algebra I teacher at New Tech High @ Coppell and Mandarin I and II instructor at Coppell High School and New Tech, Wu has found even greater fulfillment as a teacher.

    After graduating from Chinese Culture University with a major in voice and being a part of the Taipei Philharmonic Chorus, she became a piano teacher, setting the foundation for her love of teaching before making the leap to America.

    “It was very tough in the beginning,” Wu said. “My first 10 years I was busy catching up [with] the language and culture. It was a very big culture shock, and then, trying to make some friends [on top of that.]”

    She resided in Houston during her first years in America, continuing her education at the University of Houston and then joining the Houston Grand Opera. She taught choir in various school districts throughout the state for a couple of years before settling upon teaching Chinese.

    “I gave up singing, my background, to teaching Chinese,” Wu said. “It is my native tongue, so I am excited to share my knowledge and my passion with everybody here.”

    Her class and personality have brought new light to both Coppell schools.

    “It is great that she teaches the class,” New Tech director Tabitha Branum said. “She has lived there and experienced the culture. She brings an authenticity and real enthusiasm.”

    Wu takes her classes beyond merely worksheets. Last year, she introduced a bi-weekly Chinese Club at New Tech, which she hopes to bring to CHS, in addition to keeping Mandarin fresh in her students’ mind this past summer with extra lessons. Furthermore, for the first part of this year, students worked on presentations as a part of the Festival of Nations to teach about the Chinese culture.

    “She’s been doing great,” foreign language department head Holly Whiting said. “She and I went to a meeting with Rosetta Stone about delivering languages in a new type of way, and she has been open to it all.”

    Now, as she begins teaching one of the harder languages to bridge into, she can fully relate.

    “I am a foreigner,” Wu said. “I didn’t know English well. I know how hard it is to learn a language. I still have an accent and my spelling really stinks. So I understand, and I break it down and give them more time to absorb it, especially the Chinese tonal language. It takes time to get used to the sound and writing.”

    Although she always has been been moving from one thing to another throughout her life, Wu has finally found what she truly is excited to do.

    “I hope in my class everybody knows that this is a family they can fall back onto, whether it is about Chinese or something else” Wu said. “I want them to know that I am here for them.”

    Already, students have connected with the ecstatic quality she has in her class.

    “She’s crazy fun,” freshman Alex Riggs said. “She’s fun and organized, but she brings a crazy vibe to [Chinese class].”

    Fittingly enough, Wu’s favorite Chinese character is love, featuring within it the character for heart. With teaching, she has taken what she loves and put her heart into it.

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