Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Fong

Some teachers teach only out of a textbook, some just give lectures, but Mr. Fong has a different style— he likes to entertain his students while they learn psychology.

Mr. Fong has been teaching students psychology for 28 years at Mountain View High School. He has always been one of the student body’s favorite teachers. He is always devoted to teaching and helping students learn in his own unique way. For this reason, he was chosen for a teacher spotlight.

When asked what her favorite thing about Mr. Fong was, Gracie Henry replied saying: “He can teach us the material while making it entertaining and fun to learn, and he really cares about all the students while he makes the lessons applicable to our lives.” I’ve noticed that in his class, I’m always more enthusiastic to be in class learning. He always finds a way to joke around and have a good time teaching, translating to us making the class fun. 

When I asked him about advice he would give a student—either taking his class or in general— he said, “I think for kids coming into my class, just coming to class and doing the best you can is the greatest advice I can give— just come and really make an effort. For kids in high school, there are always so many issues that teenagers have— whether it’s emotional or just growing up. I have found that if you strive to learn, just try to give your best effort in everything you’re asked to do, it helps diminish your problems if you just focus on something else.”

Outside of school, Mr. Fong enjoys spending time with his family, reading, cooking, watching movies, and cycling. But in school, he says his favorite part about teaching is “just interacting and laughing with the kids.”

When we were talking about new traits he’s learned after becoming a teacher during our interview, he remarked, “I learned to be more patient as a teacher— to not be uptight about things. I learned that sometimes there are just some kids that are just going to struggle a little bit, and we should never rule them out in those regards. I can’t say I’m the best at helping kids with that struggle, but I always think there is hope beyond high school. High school doesn’t need to define us.” These are some very encouraging words for everyone, because the choices we make in high school don’t need to extend beyond that. We can define our own path into greatness. As Mr. Fong taught us, we have so much potential and when we put our mind to anything we can do marvelous things and change the world.