Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up? Were you identified as gifted when you were young?
My name is Christine Cheung. I grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. I did participate in the gifted programs at my elementary school when I was younger.
What is your favorite content to teach?
My favorite content to teach is math and writing.
Tell us briefly about your favorite teacher.
My favorite teacher is my 5th grade teacher, Mr. Len Pergander. He made learning so much fun for us!
Tell us about a satisfying teaching experience.
I have been very lucky to have had wonderful teaching experiences. I started my career teaching in the Southside of Chicago where I taught inner-city kids in Kindergarten and First grades. I absolutely loved working with the children and families at that school. I also had an opportunity to teach the English curriculum for the Japanese Dual Language program in Schaumburg for 3 years. In that program students begin learning reading, writing and speaking in Japanese and English starting in Kindergarten. I was constantly amazed at how well American students could read, write and speak in Japanese as a result of being a part of the dual language program.
What is it like working with gifted kids? Describe the energy in your classroom.
Currently, I am enjoying my position at Northwestern University CTD working with gifted kids. The energy in the classroom is inspiring and we are able to cover such fascinating topics like physics, chemistry, geometry, etc. with kids in pre-school and kindergarten!