I never imagined myself as a teacher.
When I was in elementary school, all the teachers were strict and only told us how we should behave and what we should do. That is no surprise because all the teachers that I had in school became teachers when my country had a communist regime. They became teachers because the government told them to be, and I am sure they were good at it. However, I was too young to recognize or appreciate that. What I remember vividly is this: I was told what to do, how to do, and how I should feel. On top of that, comparison was invisibly present. Teachers or parents comparing their kids with one another was the societal norm, more like an educational norm. This is what I knew growing up and getting educated in the Mongolian educational system. What I knew turned upside down when I went abroad for college. The United States of America was the chosen country. I experienced several culture shocks. Everyone was super friendly to the point that ...