Meet Our Instructors: Shelley Li
Shelley Li
Majors: Neuroscience & Public Health
Year: Class of 2027
Teaching at: Furman L. Templeton
What are some things you’ve learned from your students?
Every writing group, the students teach me as much as I teach them. The lessons I learn range from making small pivots in class to adjusting whole activities in the curriculum according to the students’ engagement for the day and learning interests in the long-term. Although I have been a student for most of my life, my students showed me that when it comes to learning, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. When faced with the same writing prompt, one of my 3rd graders may need a sentence starter, while another may seek inspiration from an initial drawing sketch. Through sharing their different perspectives and experiences growing up in Baltimore, my students have also expanded my worldview. They challenge me to constantly reflect on ways to better teach and connect with them.
What inspired you to work with WBS?
In elementary and middle school, the stories I wrote held all my whimsical thoughts and
impossible dreams. Yet, at some point in time, those stories started slowly being replaced by
literature analysis essays, academic papers, and scientific research proposals. I joined WBS in hopes of rediscovering the creativity and magic in writing. Together with my students, I hope to build a writing community, where we are free to invent any character and world, confide our beliefs and emotions to the page, and to write for no other reason than to indulge in the joy of it.
Can you describe a favorite moment from teaching?
The moments of teaching that linger for me are often those of connection with my students. I
think it is a great honor when a student is willing to share a small part of their life with me,
whether it be telling me about their friendships and family movie nights or simply persuading me to try frozen Twix chocolate. My greatest accomplishments in teaching have also been times when after several fruitless prods at conversation with a student, one finally brings an excited gleam to their eyes. And even better yet — when the conversation inspires the student to write a few words on the page.
What are some things you love?
Long walks, early mornings, neighborhood bakeries, roasted Japanese sweet potatoes, a tidy
room, family mahjong nights, handwritten notes, redwood forests, and the small joys that coax out smiles.
What is something you love doing even though you’re not very good at it?
I love cooking, especially for my loved ones. The process is healing and highly rewarding —
even when the outcomes are often mini nightmares (for others). One summer, I experimented
with adding bell peppers to my noodle dishes; since then, my brother has vowed to never touch a bell pepper I cooked ever again.