The Portledge Press

​Portledge students know Ms. Jang for her vibrant light personality: A fusion of love not only for her students and the world around her but the craft of education. Ms. Jang is a firm believer that every student has the ability to learn and better themselves no matter the limitation, there is always possibility. She is someone who in this chaotic world of stressors and distractions, uses her classroom as a space to detach and pull back from it all. But behind the walls of her cozy classroom in the science wing is a woman with a backstory, a backstory that shaped her into the woman we all know and love today and today she is ready to tell it.

 

I was lucky enough to be able to sit down with Ms. Jang in person and get an insider view into both her current life at Portledge as well as the journey that led her to 355 Duck Pond Road. Through our simple yet informative conversation I was able to shadow a day in her life and get a better understanding of how she chooses to attack the day. Interestingly enough in some instances you can learn a lot more about a person through the actions they take with their day. The habits and motivations that drive them to get out of bed that morning or the pockets of peace they set up for themselves. I wanted to know it all.

 

Ms. Jang starts her day bright and early around 6 AM, gets herself together and ready for the day, heads in the car, and by 7 AM she has arrived at school. She starts her day by checking her announcements so diligently and cozying up to a warm cup of coffee while she gets organized for the day. After back to back classes, Ms. Jang typically takes some time to herself and when asked if the job ever gets overstimulating or stressful, she replied, “Not particularly that feeling, more that I think everyone deserves a break, a moment of self care,” a moment where one can be with themselves, almost a check in. After that she continues through her daily classes having laughs and learning with her students when suddenly her stomach is grumbling and it is time to head to The Commons for a delicious meal and get to be with her fellow teachers. Being with everyone was one of the most highlighted parts of her day where “everyone relaxes and has a full on conversation,” which where in a world of consuming social media, human interaction seems ever so key in the day.

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Finally, after a wonderful day of inciting students on conjugations and Spanish culture, Ms. Jang takes some time to work on her overall health by getting a workout in at the gym to consistently stay motivated. And at around 9 PM we find our beloved teacher indulging in a delicious meal snug on the couch and “usually watching a k-drama,” she stated. This routine, while simple to some, is how one great person balances her work and social life and still times pockets of the day to benefit and better not only herself but her students.

 

Now that I had explored her current life and what makes her the woman we all know and love, it was time to take a trip back in time to her life before Portledge. Firstly, Ms. Jang was a woman of many travels. From the beautiful sunny beaches of California, to the towering skyscrapers of Seoul, to the mountainous lands of Almaty she has seen it all and witnessed some of the most beautiful gifts this world had to offer. What really spoke to me though was the way that she was able to immerse herself in the world so young. Ms. Jang confided in me that by doing so, she was able to position herself outside of the conventional space of a classroom that she was so used to and learn with a tangible frame of reference. In other words, it's one thing to read a book on Italy, but it's another to be able to interact with locals, indulge in traditional cuisine, learn about customs, and be able to compare and contrast that culture to your own. In her early years (and still now), Ms. Jang has lived with a vivacious spirit and readiness to take on life first hand. Anything seemed possible and there was no limit to where she could travel to, what she could see, and life lessons she could learn in her life. It is this exact ebullience and vigor for life that has carried on to Ms. Jang’s classroom today and allowed her students to thrive in so many ways. “Learning should be fun, I always say!” she exuberantly told the Press and I believe it is a reminder that students at a highly rigorous school like Portledge should take to heart. 

 

In addition to her world class adventures, Ms. Jang also was able to inform us about where her language journey even stemmed from and her answer deeply shocked us. Ms. Jang recounted that contrary to popular belief “It wasn’t necessarily a love for languages. My parents immigrated to different countries when I was young. It was first South America, then Paraguay, and Brazil so I had to learn Spanish and Portuguese. Then I came to the US where I had to learn English. It was more of a means of survival.” As students we can look at teachers from only a singular point of view with how we see them in school. This interview with Ms. Jang allowed me and The Press to realize that educators have layers and talents that are not secluded to who they are as teachers. Ms. Jang walks around with a toolbox full of language, knowledge, and stories to tell her students and those insights are what makes someone like her extraordinary.

 

Overall, Ms. Jang has been a veteran here at Portledge and her care and grace in and out of the classroom never goes unnoticed. But what students may not tend to see is a woman who works so hard because she believes in the power of education and the excitement that comes with it. And it is because of that that she is so incredibly driven to better herself and continue to learn wherever she goes because for Ms. Jang and so many other teachers their learning is not just teaching an idea, it's a lifelong passion and pursuit that when work is put into amazing things can be achieved.