The Basics

JENNY LEE
Features Editor

Hailing from Shanghai, China, this teacher would fly off to the International Space Station if the $20 million fee was paid for. In fact, if he was not a teacher, he would be an aerospace engineer.

His seventh birthday was one of his more impressionable memories back. His family ordered takeout from a restaurant that day, highly uncommon in 1980s China. Subsequently, they visited a circus where a magic show featured a tall, dark-skinned mesomorph, who he later realized was boxer Muhammad Ali.

At age nine, this alumnus flew from Shanghai to Montebello, California, prior to moving to Alhambra where he attended Ramona Elementary School and later AHS.

Now a current father, he finds new appreciation for sleep, his ideal preference of spending his spare time, rejuvenating himself and relieving stress. He also consumes more salad to stay healthy and eats a bowl of oatmeal every day.

His evenings are spent washing dishes and tending his children–reading them children’s books, checking on his son’s homework, giving them a shower and tucking them to bed. When 9 P.M. rolls around, he relaxes with his wife and watches Alias on TV.

On a typical weekend, he visits his elderly parents and concludes his week by attending church on Sunday. His primary source of inspiration is the Bible.

Those enduring his class know his one teaching philosophy. “You just need to do the basic things well, like setting aside time each day to do homework, reviewing your notes and study with groups,” he said.

Guess who?
Answer: Mr. Chen (Physics)