Kathy Huang: Teaching is Believing
MANILA, Philippines - She may not have one of the most glamorous jobs in the world but as a teacher, she has the unique opportunity to change lives, which is more than what any glamorous job can offer.
A bright face with an easy smile matches the cheery demeanor of newlywed Kathy Huang, wife of Mike Huang, scion of the Tantoco-Huang clan of retailers. And as I sit with her, she shares with me how it feels to be called a fashionable young beauty and how fulfilling it is to mold minds one lesson at a time.
“Am I fashionable?” she laughs out loud. A self-proclaimed introvert, Kathy says she usually walks out the door in a reliable pair of Diesel jeans, comfy shirts by Gap, Banana Republic or Zara, and flats sans the makeup. Well, putting on makeup is unnecessary as she is blessed with a fresh and radiant face. On special occasions, however, she makes sure that she dresses the part. “I prefer to wear RTWs from Helmut Lang and Gucci. I’m a big Nicole Miller fan.” Of the local designers, Kathy exclaims that she is forever indebted to Inno Sotto who designed her wedding gown last year. “I’m very comfy and down to earth when it comes to clothes because of my work.”
Kathy has been teaching Chinese and Religion in Brent International School for the past two years; she taught English in China two years before that. “It sounds so cliché but it is fulfilling to be a teacher,” she says. “It’s quite fulfilling to have your kids understand an idea that’s quite difficult. Even if it takes three or four hours to get (it) across, when they understand it, you feel fulfilled,” shares Kathy as she talks about her 11th grade students grasping the idea of utilitarianism.
As a teacher, Kathy has a get-it-done-no-excuses attitude when it comes to homework and pushes all her student to read, as she, too, is an avid reader. However, being young and hip, Kathy easily relates to her students; having a close relationship with all 100 or so of them. Students would even e-mail her about the funny stuff that happened in their day like, “Hey Miss, what’s up! Guess what? All the fish in our koi pond died.”
Kathy pours herself into activities that are close to her heart like managing the La Liga Filipina basketball team and contributing to the new E-learning program for the public schools in Taguig. In the program headed by Mayor Freddie Tinga and his wife Kaye, Kathy works as a consultant.
She finds her sense of fulfillment every day by spending time with her family, checking papers, watching her team’s games and helping out with the E-learning program. “I don’t think I do anything extraordinary but what I do matters to me and matters to the people around me. I try to live my life the best as I can; as humbly and as God-fearing as I can.”
