Staffa 老师 (Staffa Lǎoshī) now in Seoul, Korea
Previous Department Head
2012 Prestige Honoree
Oak Forest Elementary honored Staffa老师 by voting him as their 2012 Prestige Honoree. This honor is given to one teacher in each school every year, with the award going to the teacher who best exemplifies professionalism and has proven to be highly effective in raising student achievement. Out of over 6,000 teachers, 134 were voted as Prestige Honorees for the 2012-2013 school year. The Prestige Award is fast becoming a most coveted honor for teachers. It requires significant traits, as outlined in the MCS Teacher Credo, and involves ongoing collaborations, exemplary teaching strategies, self-improvement practices, and community involvement. |
What's the Word On the Streets?
The word is 你好! (hello!), since it's Staffa老师 who's rolling around Memphis on the side of the bus! Staffa老师 is larger than life and rolling through the city telling everyone how great Oak Forest Elementary is. I want to spread the word that Memphis is the place to be if you want to learn how to speak Mandarin Chinese, whether you are in kindergarten, 12th grade or any year in between. I am proud to lead Oak Forest's Chinese department and spread the gift of language to our students, preparing them to be competitive in an ever-changing modern global village. |
The Language Educator
The Language Educator is a national magazine for anyone who loves world languages. For their October 2012 issue, ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) decided to run an article titled Going for 90% Plus: How to Stay in the Target Language. Staffa老师 and a few other teachers in Memphis were asked to have a conversation with the writer of the article, and he decided to feature Staffa 老师 and a Peabody Russian teacher, Nicci Miller. The focus of the article was how teachers stay in the target language during class through technology, singing, dancing, movement and the many other strategies we use every day to raise student achievement and make language learning fun. |
Memphis Health & Fitness
Staffa老师 was featured in Memphis Health and Fitness Magazine's "Fit Faculty" section in August 2012. Here he talked about the best thing about being a teacher, why Chinese is important to him, what inspires him to work hard every day, how movement, singing and dancing are used in Chinese classes, how he finds the time to stay healthy, and also his favorite physical activities. Working hard to bring Chinese to Oak Forest takes a lot of time and energy, but it is important to remember that eating right and exercising are the most important ways to stay healthy and be successful. Your body is your temple, and you must treat it right at all times. If you do, you can have a long healthy life in which your brain can do its job of learning. Staffa老师 likes to learn about languages and music. How about you? |