Ep. 9: (Mandarin) Stuyvesant ex-Principal Jie Zhang taught American prisoners, fixed U.S. schools, returns to China to lead two international schools

<p>Jie Zhang has been an instructor, administrator and leader of American education institutions for more than three decades. She began her career teaching math to prisoners on Rikers Island (New York). Her most well-known positions included principal of the Ivy League feeder Stuyvesant High School, and principal of the now Chinese company-owned New York Military Academy, which US President Trump attended. She recently returned to China to run two international high schools.</p> <p>Besides recounting her eclectic career, she also shared stories of helping prisoners get high school degrees, challenges in teaching American high schoolers as a foreigner, her firsthand experience dealing with pressure to democratize enrollment at magnet public schools, making decision to return to China despite overwhelming opposition from family and friends, and cherishment of the exciting work environment and an energetic team of coworkers at the two Chinese schools she now manages.</p> <p>* Jie Zhang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jie-zhang-67a97620/<br /> * Stuyvesant High School ("Stuy"): https://stuy.enschool.org/<br /> * New York Military School: https://www.nyma.org/<br /> * Hongwen School: http://www.hongwenschool.com.cn/</p> <p>0:00 Teaser<br /> 1:01 Host monologue<br /> 4:32 Guest self-intro<br /> 11:20 Pressure of running international schools amid China-US tension<br /> 15:55 Coronavirus deepened financial woes of US private schools (pre-college) that preceded the pandemic<br /> 22:04 Journey to State University of New York at Stony Brook and family ties to Chinese Physicist CN Yang<br /> 27:50 First job teaching math at a prison in Rikers Island in New York City<br /> 35:54 Transition to teaching regular schools, and challenges of teaching Americans as a foreigner<br /> 42:53 Her son (Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, startup) and daughter (Berkeley, speech pathology studies)<br /> 45:18 Transition from purely instructive to administrative roles<br /> 51:56 Willingness to take risks plays big role in advancing her educational car