Meet Our Instructors: Jessie Tong

Jessie Tong

Major: Public Health

Minor: Writing Seminars

Year: Class of 2028

Teaching at: Furman L. Templeton

What’s something you really like about the school where you teach?

I think my favorite thing about Furman Templeton is how genuine and sweet the students are. I love working with kids, but I can be a bit awkward or unsure of myself at times, so it’s really reassuring to work with people who are so eager to learn and participate. Every time I leave the room after a writing group, some of the students will run up and hug me or ask if I’ll be back, which just makes me so grateful and happy to have such a great group of students. They’re always engaged and have a ton of energy, which is so important to have when learning.

What has teaching writing taught you about your own writing?

Ironically, it was while writing my lesson plan “Show, not tell” that I realized that was something I needed to work on in my own writing. It’s great to be able to return to the fundamentals at times, because it truly led me to realize there were some things I had been overlooking in my own writing while focusing too much on more complicated or advanced ideas. While coming up with this lesson plan and providing feedback on my students’ writing, I realized that I had a tendency to tell instead of show, which was also something I was trying to get them to work on. Teaching has led me to realize that, a lot of the time, it’s crucial to return to the basics.

What is something you taught yourself to do?

I taught myself how to play a couple of instruments, but my favorite is probably the guitar! 

What unusual skill do you have?

Not sure if this is a skill, but I can name all 47 US presidencies in order.