Mr. Racine is my favourite teacher for many reasons. Simply put, he is fun, amiable and extremely knowledgeable. In Business class, he never fails to make every student laugh and have a good time. His commitment and dedication to the subject always lights up the class. Besides, he has the patience to explain any kind of question at any time to the fullest and ensures that all his students understand the materials they are learning. He is also extremely organized and easily approachable by pupils. He has been teaching me Business class in IBDP for less than a year but I have known him for more than a year. I find the subject Business thoroughly interesting, and Mr. Racine has helped me like it even more by conducting various activities, games, group discussions, and his straightforward explaining as well as his naturally exuberant character have made the class all the more dynamic.
I have numerous memories of this teacher that capture exactly what I like about him. Many of these feature him occasionally mishearing some words the students have said aloud during class. In these situations, he would repeat what he thought he heard in a questionable form, which often include absurd and hilarious lexis, that would make the entire class abruptly burst out with laughter. This shows how his spirit and cheerfulness amuse and cheer the students up at all times. In overall, my favourite thing about Mr. Racine’s class is his enthusiasm and passion for the subject.
Teacher’s Questions:
Tell me about yourself.
I’m Mr. CharLee Racine, and I live in Beijing with my wife, Lu Xiao Min and she is from China. I am a Business and Management teacher and university councilor at Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA). My wife is in pharmaceutical sales.
How long have you lived in Beijing? What brought you here?
I have lived here for 9 years. After studying about China in college, I wanted to come here for a year to experience what it was like, but I never left ever since.
Why did you become a teacher? Have you always been a teacher or did you do something else before?
I like people, as well as acting, talking, and seeing people achieve things. I can see all these in this job so I became a teacher. Also at first, it was an easy way to come to China to teach and I found out that I actually liked being a teacher. Prior to teaching in BWYA, I worked as a consultant for two years helping foreign companies access the Chinese market.
Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
I had many but if I had to choose one, it would be a teacher that I had in college who taught about politics, and his class was on revolution. I remember how he used to yell at everyone who came late to his class when in fact, college was supposed to give people more freedom. He was also a great lecturer with great ideas. For example, one of his theories was that all revolutionary leaders wore funny hats. He was really different from all the other teachers.
What is your teaching philosophy?
To teach the important things and don’t worry about the rest, and also that if I’m bored, then the students are even more bored.
What do you enjoy most about teaching?
I enjoy most the “light bulb” moment, that is, when I see the students going from not getting something to getting it.
What has been your greatest success as a teacher?
That would be… keeping my students awake in class!
What is the most challenging aspect of teaching?
I find teaching a range of students that have a broad range of abilities and English-speaking skills the most challenging aspect of teaching.
If you could have any other occupation, then what would it be?
A rock star or a marine biologist; I like to go scuba diving.
Lauren You (Jung Won) is half Korean and half Chinese, and is currently in grade 11 at Beijing World Youth Academy. Previously, she attended a Korean kindergarten, then a Chinese school in Korea, and later went abroad to Malaysia to study English at a local school and then in a British international school. Lauren enjoys reading and writing and she actively writes articles for her school’s magazine as well as for her school’s newspaper.
The beijingkids student correspondent program gives high school students with an interest in writing and journalism a resource for guidance, feedback, and real-life training.If you are a student interested in becoming a beijingkids student correspondent, or you know a student who is, please contact aislingobrien@beijing-kids.com.
Photos courtesy of Lauren You
