Ms. Chan started competitively playing piano when she was three years old.

Telecommunications has five deans and this year, Ms. Chan joins the team. Ms. Chan has taught here for seven years. This new school year, she has been delegated the responsibility of a dean and swim coach, while also teaching math classes across the grades. 

Chan grew up in Staten Island, but she always loved Brooklyn more. At first she wanted to be a doctor, but learning Chemistry in college wasn’t for her. While attending the College of Staten Island (CSI), she tutored students in Geometry.

She fell in love with teaching and helping others in this role. She decided to major in Math Education for grades 7-12 and graduated in 2018. For the new school year, she has added swim coach and dean to her job. She’s proud of herself for being able to perform all these roles at once and she’s handling it well.

Ms. Chan wanted to be a dean from the start of her career at Tele. She thinks it’s a cool way to learn about the community here. She was chosen to be the swim coach for the girls swimming team. She decided to take the role because she always wanted to help people learn how to swim. Back in 2019, she coached the boys swim team at Lincoln High School but had to stop because of COVID. 

Chan acknowledges that students have mixed feelings about her; some are able to open up to her and be comfortable around her but others aren’t that comfortable. Chan also thinks that students have the perception that deans are strict, rule followers and tough. She thinks that she is too joyful as a dean and that makes students feel like they can act out around her. Being a dean changes the perspective students have of her. She thinks her swimmers think she’s really helpful and that she’s a great swimmer. All the swimmers have a personal relationship with her.

With Chan’s new role as Dean, she hopes to continue to find a balance between coaching, teaching and mediating.