A Miami High alumna and now a math teacher, Ms. Wong is one of our rookie teachers. A class of ’12 grad, Ms. Wong is glad to teach in a school that helped so much with her development.

 The New Teacher

 Ms. Wong teaches Algebra 1, both honors and regular, along with two Intensive Math classes. Her decision to teach at Miami High was an emotional one. “I have loved Miami High since I first walked into the school,” she said. “As a student, I imagined it would be great to have my teachers as co-workers even though I did not think about being a teacher myself at all back the

She also chose our school because of Miami High’s role in her development. She said, “I arrived from Cuba halfway through my freshman year, and I was disoriented and terrified. I did not know the language. Miami High, my teachers and the few, but good friends I made here helped me channel all those fears into something productive: my education. For that, I am eternally grateful. So, when I heard that Miami High needed a new teacher I didn’t even need to make a choice. The choice had been made 7 years ago.”

Ms. Wong’s teaching experience so far has been a good one. She said, “I really enjoy teaching most of the time. I am new in the business, and I am still adapting to it, but I did not think I would like it as much as I do.”

As much as she enjoys teaching, it isn’t always easy. “There are trying and difficult moments, of course, too many to count,” she said, “but I prefer to focus on the bright side. At the end of the day there is nothing as beautiful as sharing knowledge with others.”

To Ms. Wong, teaching is one of the most rewarding experiences as well as one of the most challenging. She says that what she enjoys the most about teaching is “Witnessing how students make academic progress throughout the year and how that knowledge helps them build their confidence and their sense of self.”

ESOL student

Her time as a student in Miami High was very different from what students experience now. During her time attending our school, MHS was under reconstruction, causing changes in schedules and relocations. Spending her first two years as an ESOL student, she was very segregated.

She said, “I was learning in classrooms where every single student was ESOL. I was very surprised to see how inclusive our classrooms are nowadays.”

A member of the Math Club (MAO), she was very involved. She said, “As one of my member duties I was required to help other students during tutoring and went once a week for a couple of years. I always enjoyed doing it, and the students I helped seemed to understand when I explained something to them.”

Ms. Wong attributes her success to hard work and dedication. She said, “I had a hard time in high school because I did not know English, but I put in hours and hours of listening to music and watching TV in English and reading books I barely understood. I got out of ESOL after one and a half years, and they put me into English Honors in my junior year. My senior year I was taking AP English Literature and I was terrified all through it. I had great teachers (Ms. Catalina Perez and Ms. Puentes) who were very patient and very supportive of me, and they made the whole experience less traumatizing.”

After graduating from Miami High in 2012, she attended Williams College, a very small liberal arts college in Massachusetts for four years and majored in Economics. Her first year there was very tough. She said, “I felt very behind in terms of academics and studying habits. I did not know how to navigate a college as an institution or how to take advantage of the resources that were available.”

While her first year was difficult, she eventually caught up. “It was quite a change,” she said. “In high school, I went from having free time to read, watch TV, and do other recreational activities to having to study or do homework multiple hours every day.”

Her time spent at Williams College was well worth it. She said, “The education I received was immeasurable. During those four years I grew academically, intellectually, but also personally. It also taught me the power of endurance and hard work.”

Life in Cuba

Ms. Wong was born in Havana, Cuba. Her age is a secret that she promised to tell her students at the end of the year. She has a relatively small immediate family, with only one brother, but a very big extended family and considers herself lucky to have such a supportive and loving family.

During her early life in Cuba, she lived in a small bubble, but was still able to see how difficult life was for the people around her. She said, “When I lived in Cuba, I didn’t fully understand the many things wrong with a country that systematically restricts people’s freedom in so many ways. Nonetheless, I had started to realize how hard life was for the people around me.”

Hobbies

One of Ms. Wong hobbies is to read. “I love reading, I try to do as much of it as I can. I read books, newspapers, magazines,” she said. “Even during high school, I would read a lot. I would have a daily goal of 100 pages.”

During college, she had to read more, but not for fun. “I had piles of assigned readings to do,” she said. Her list of favorite books includes The Bluest Eye by Tom Morrison and The House of the Spirit by Isabel Allende. She does not have a single favorite book because it is too difficult to choose just one. She also believes that everyone should read. “There is so much reading material out there that everyone can find something they enjoy,” she said.