As an EIL tutor and a TESOL education major, Jade Suet Mui Cheng-Castro, a senior from Hong Kong, said she meets with freshmen daily to help them with their English. She said she was shy when she was young but managed to overcome her weakness and later developed an interest in becoming a teacher.
Changing her major
Castro said she had never thought about being a teacher. She loved her biology classes. However, after talking to her friends who were majoring in education, she said set a new goal to be an educator. In Hong Kong, using her knowledge of education she could learn in the United States, she changed her major to elementary education.
From 2014 to 2015, Castro served as a full-time missionary in the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. When she returned to BYUH, she said she wished to change her major to education but was troubled about obtaining a teaching license in Hong Kong.
“An average Hong Kong person’s English is not bad, but there are too many tests and exams. People only study for exams,” Castro shared her own experience, “When I first came here to BYUH, I got high scores, but I was still afraid to talk to native speakers.
“I want to help Hong Kong students really use English, have an authentic learning experience, and not just study for exams, but see it as a media of communication. I hoped this would happen.
“[Friends] told me how different the education subject is in Hong Kong. If I study that here, I can bring back [teaching principles] to Hong Kong and make a difference. I can make an active, more engaging, student-centered learning environment.”
In her secondary school, she said there were good teachers who helped her enjoy learning. She thought she could also be one of them and influence students to enjoy their education.
Explaining the differences in diplomas, she said, elementary education in America is different to the education in Hong Kong. “In America, one teacher teaches all the subjects, but in Hong Kong, one teacher only teaches one subject. That’s one of the reasons why [a diploma for elementary education from an American school] is not recognized in Hong Kong.”
Castro said if a person does not have a teaching license in Hong Kong, they will not be hired by the public schools in Hong Kong. Despite the limited job choice for the future, Castro investigated the TESOL major. “A lot of people from Hong Kong study TESOL education here,” shared Castro. “Most importantly, as a TESOL education major, if you do student teaching in Hong Kong, you can get a teaching license.” Having a desire to be an English teacher and to help students in Hong Kong, Castro pointed out the current problem in the educational system in Hong Kong and how it is negatively affecting Hong Kong students’ experience in learning English.
A timid child
Before deciding to become a teacher, Castro described herself as a shy person when she was in primary school. She recalled, “In the class, if the teacher asked me to answer a question, I would start to tremble. My hands would feel cold. I just couldn’t talk in front of many people.”
When Castro entered secondary school, she said she decided to overcome her fear. She joined the school’s drama club and she said it was a step forward to fight her fear. She shared, “I needed to perform in front of 1,200 people. The teacher also did training on our speaking volume. The school’s cultural hall is very big. While we practiced on the stage, the teacher would stand at the end of the hall and wanted to be able to hear us.”
Overcoming fear in BYUH
Castro said her experience in the drama club helped her overcome half of her fear, but the other half was overcome when she attended BYUH in 2012.
Her older sister told Castro the importance of speaking up and interacting with others in an American classroom, she said. “My sister told me in Hong Kong, I don’t need to say anything in the class, but in America, I have to be engaged in the class. I have to join the discussion and share my opinions.”
After taking her older sister’s advice, Castro said, she decided to set a goal to speak at least once in every lesson. As time went by, she became comfortable with speaking English in front of others.
Her impression on others
Dr. Neil J. Anderson is a TESOL professor and he described Castro as a diligent learner who engages in learning not for grade but for truly increasing her knowledge.
He said, “Castro is a deep thinker who processes information carefully and critically. She is then able to articulate her thoughts verbally and engage in meaningful discussions.”
Pui Sin Cheng, Castro’s older brother, a senior majoring in communications, said as a student, she is disciplined and serious about her grades being excellent. “She’s a 4.0 student. She got the highest scores among our family in the opening exam for all secondary school students in Hong Kong.”
As a family member, Castro has been an example to her older brother. Cheng said she is intelligent and always tried to do the right thing. Although she is his younger sister, Cheng said he looks up to her.
The meaning behind her name
Jade is her English name and her Chinese name is Suet Mui. Castro's husband, Hyrum Seth Castro, said while Jade is considered as a precious material in Chinese culture, he also considers his wife as the most valuable person in his life.
“She is a woman of great worth and purity. She finds happiness in learning and creates harmony in the home. Truly, she is precious inside and out,” said Hyrum Castro, a sophomore business management major from the Philippines.
In Chinese, “Suet” means “snow” and “Mui” means “plum blossom.” Jade Castro said all the girls in her family are named after plants. “My cousins and I altogether are plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo.’”
Jade Castro explained plum blossom is the national flower of China. It is a symbol of strength and perseverance and it contains her parents’ expectations for her. “While all the other flowers come into bloom in Spring or Summer, plums grow in Winter with the snow. The colder it is, the more beautifully the plum blossoms bloom. Naming me ‘Suet Mui (snow plum),’ my parents’ hope for me is that even when I face difficulties, I’d remain strong and persistent and wouldn’t give up.”
When being asked about her future plan, Jade said because her husband hasn’t graduated yet, she will first find a job here to stay with her husband. After that, they will likely to live in Hong Kong or another country in South Asia.
Writer: Tomson Cheang