“My mom teaches at Irvington. Her name is Ya Wen Chang, but people just call her Apple. She teaches Chinese 1 and 2.

Since my mom’s a Chinese teacher, she helps me out in my Chinese classes since she has access to a lot of materials for me. Because she is a Chinese teacher outside of school, these aren’t just limited to Chinese 1 and 2. She has AP Chinese materials and she always hands them to me, which helps give me a boost in my classes. 

My friends don’t have any problem with my mom being a teacher at Irvington. Although my friends know that she is my mom, they still view her class as a normal class. Her class is a relatively easier class, so a lot of my friends think of her class as a very fun, enjoyable and easy class to be in. There are times when my friends sometimes make fun of me or tell me things about their specific experiences in her classes, but those are just light-hearted jokes. My mom also maintains a fair viewpoint on all of her students, so any bias that may arise isn’t from her students being my friends, but instead only because of her own observations and experiences with them from what she has observed throughout the school year.

There is also some added pressure in general because my mom is a teacher at Irvington.  I’m expected to have a higher Chinese level than others so I feel like usually in a class, it’s my pride on the line and I have to maintain a good grade. Especially because my teachers know who my mom is, so both of our prides are on the line. For example, I don’t necessarily like English that much, but last year, my English teacher knew who I was, so I put a lot more effort into that class than normal. Also, if I have some teachers who know my mom, then it might affect me because they may look at me like Mrs. Apple’s son, and that changes the attention they give me.”