Name: Cat Liao
Hometown: Zhengzhou, China
Graduate Program: Brown University, MAT in Secondary Social Studies Education, Class of 2021
Current Position: Schoolwide Substitute Teacher, Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts, Providence, RI

What was the highlight of your experience in the MAT program?

I really enjoyed the occasional in-person class because most of our classes were online at the time [due to COVID restrictions]. Later in the year, when Professor Palella could host in-person seminars, it was so much fun. I got to dress up, see my friends, and go to campus, so that was a huge highlight for me.

How do you take care of yourself and your mental health as a teacher?

A very important lesson I learned is to draw boundaries. Not only in terms of time management but emotionally because you have to stop thinking about work and your students after working hours. As teachers, we empathize a lot. There is something called empathy fatigue and I think I experienced that in my first year of teaching. That affected my personal relationships that year too, so a lesson I’ve learned now is to cut myself off from work emotionally and physically once working hours have ended. 

What have you done since graduating from the MAT program?

I was very lucky to secure my job at TAPA while student teaching there. I just went right in after the program ended. The first year, I was mostly subbing and making schedules and coverages. I started teaching classes for a longer time in my second year. I’m also on the MTSS (multi-tiered support system) team at the school. I have been able to observe different students' behaviors in different classrooms and identify which tiers of support they need. There are meetings with individual students, very often, to determine if they need more support like a 504 or IEP. 

I also went back to school while working full-time. I started studying data science and data analysis.

What do you like most about Providence?

I like how familiar the environment feels to me. I can walk to places with my eyes closed. I’m re-experiencing Providence as a working person, and exploring different districts beyond College Hill and Federal Hill. I go to Broad Street where my coworkers live or to East Providence and see what cafes there are like. I love how Providence is so small but there are so many things going on. We have a great farmer’s market on Hope Street and that’s my favorite thing to do from May to October. Even most of the stores are local businesses and if you just go to one, you can hear about a bunch of other things happening in the city. 

How do you like to spend your free time?

On weekdays I go to the gym or my dance classes. And then I go my friends’ performances: dancers, singers, gymnasts. On Saturdays and Sundays, I do groceries, picnicking when it’s warm, reading, shopping, exploring new places in Rhode Island, going to brunch cafes, glass blowing, candle making, going to India Point Park and doing nothing, and in the summer I like to go to the beach.

What advice would you give someone thinking about becoming a teacher? 

Be okay with it being hard because being a teacher is hard. You’re putting a lot of effort into making an impact. No matter how passionate you are, how much you are giving and how much you are receiving can sometimes feel very imbalanced. That can be discouraging. But I feel like knowing you’re making a difference, no matter how small it is, makes it positive. You never know what that small positive impact will lead to.

I have a student who I’ve had since I was a student teacher. I work with her a lot for college and SAT prep, which really matters to her. She's going to Stanford next year, and she's the first student ever from Providence to go to Stanford with a full ride. When she told me the news, that moment really touched me. So you never know, a small thing you do for a student can lead to a really positive life change for them. That’s something we should remember as teachers.