Long-term Ventura County resident and educator Katherine Chang has taken over as head of the Chinese department. Chang heard about the offer at Oak Park while teaching at Westlake High School.

“I was teaching at Westlake High School for the past six years. One day I saw a job opening and they want[ed] me to write a teaching philosophy, and I said, ‘yeah, I have something to share about my teaching philosophy,’” Chang said. 

Chang is very aware that students need time to adapt after being introduced to a new teacher. She wants to help her students in any way possible in the back-to-school environment.

“I believe students need time to adjust to a new teacher, a new teaching style and a new curriculum. I’m very happy to see students work cooperatively with me … I hope we can learn together, and find something that we can achieve together – the teacher and the students,” Chang said. 

Chang raves about the way her students have received these new teaching styles. She is ecstatic about the manner in which Oak Park High School students are approaching their foreign language learning.

“I feel like my students here are more enthusiastic [and] more engaging, in taking the course, and I think my students are willing to go one step further to learn reading and writing, which I feel very, very accomplished [for], because kids are willing to work with me,” Chang said. 

She approaches the coming year with a positive attitude about success in her class.

“I think everyone can succeed in my class. That’s what I believe … I like the word ‘行’ … [which] means ‘okay, everything will go through, everything will work out.’ That’s the belief.”