By Eva Schiller ’21
This year, Pingry welcomed Dr. Sabrina Chin-Shefi into the Middle and Upper School Language Departments, where she will be teaching Chinese 2, Chinese 5, and Chinese 7. Eager to get more involved in the Pingry community, she has already explored several committee meetings and will eventually decide which ones she is interested in. She is also very excited to be helping out as a producer for the upcoming school play.
Dr. Chin-Shefi attended Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, where she earned a B.A. in English Literature and Language; she went on to receive an M.S. in Instructional Media at Indiana State University and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Kansas State University. Before coming to Pingry, she was a Chinese teacher and overseer of various Chinese programs at Father Ryan High School in Nashville, Tennessee. Even before she worked in America, Dr. Chin-Shefi worked with students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong as a lecturer and participant in professional committee boards.
Despite her years of experience, she notes that adapting to Pingry life is not the easiest. “I find the schedule is my biggest challenge,” said Dr. Chin-Shefi, especially when working with the conflicting schedules of the Middle and Upper School. In spite of these minor difficulties, Dr. Chin-Shefi maintains that she feels very welcomed into the Pingry community and that her experience has been “so far so good!” As she continues to work with her students, she plans to “do the best that [she] possibly can, and help those who are taking [her] classes to be able to do better.” Besides teaching, Dr. Chin-Shefi loves traveling, as well as visiting her friends and loved ones. “I also like to do some gardening work,” she added.
When asked about what inspired her to teach, Dr. Chin-Shefi answered right away: “because I love teaching,” she laughed. However, her choice of profession goes much deeper than that. “I enjoy communicating with people about concepts because it’s concepts that determine where we’re headed,” she remarked. “We have to constantly adapt by learning from others and reflecting on ourselves.” With her insightfulness and dedication, Dr. Chin-Shefi has already established herself as a valued member of the Pingry community.