"Mr. Hong is a motivated, confident, young professional, with a strong presence in the classroom. He has the characteristics of an exemplary instructor: energy, charisma, subject-matter mastery in science, drive, passion, and dedication. He develops positive relationships with students and is a team player when working with our special education team in our full inclusion model."
-Susan Riehle, Assistant Principal at Lynwood High School
"Travis is always organized and well-prepared for each class. He sets exceptionally high standards and expectations for every student in each of his classes, and provides them with clear, written objectives. I have observed Travis engage students in compelling discussions, motivating them to be inquisitive and think outside the box. He is a caring and compassionate teacher who genuinely wants every student to succeed and reach their maximum potential."
-Maelanie Galima, Chemistry and Marine Biology Teacher at Lynwood High School
"Mr. Hong is a lifelong learner ... If given ideas or areas of growth, he immediately implements new ideas and asks for feedback. His positive attitude coupled with his passion to teach are demonstrations of his craft."
- Jeannie Kim, Assistant Principal at Torrance High School
"The lab was really fun and we had a great time. I had an amazing time. Mr. Hong's a good teacher, and I just want to say thank you to Mr. Hong for allowing us to do this lab. We wouldn't learn without him. Period."
- Torrance High School chemistry students (Amelia, Kailey, and Kilah) during a calorimetry lab
"I found [Mr. Hong] to be conscientious, thorough, organized and deeply invested in providing quality education to students. He proved to be very responsible in his various duties in the classroom and open to constructive feedback to improving his skills as an instructor ... Working with Mr. Hong was a pleasure, and his educational background in science was a great asset in that he was able to apply his knowledge in ways that benefited our students greatly."
- Hannnah Pae, former Education Director at Learnet Academy
A man was out walking in the desert when a voice said to him, "Pick up some pebbles and put them in your pocket, and tomorrow you will be both happy and sad."
The man obeyed. He stooped down and picked up a handful of pebbles and put them in his pocket. The next morning he reached into his pocket and found diamonds and rubies and emeralds. And he was both happy and sad. Happy he had taken some - sad that he hadn't taken more.
And so it is with education.
- Unknown
“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.”
- Haim G. Ginott
Tucked away in our subconscious minds is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long, long trip that almost spans the continent. We're traveling by passenger train, and out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hills, of biting winter and blazing summer and cavorting spring and docile fall.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into the station. There will be bands playing, and flags waving. And once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true. So many wishes will be fulfilled and so many pieces of our lives finally will be neatly fitted together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering ... waiting, waiting, waiting, for the station.
However, sooner or later we must realize there is no one station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
“When we reach the station that will be it!” we cry. Translated it means, “When I'm 18, that will be it! When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz, that will be it! When I put the last kid through college, that will be it! When I have paid off the mortgage, that will be it! When I win a promotion, that will be it! When I reach the age of retirement, that will be it! I shall live happily ever after!”
Unfortunately, once we get it, then it disappears. The station somehow hides itself at the end of an endless track.
“Relish the moment” is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. Rather, it is regret over yesterday or fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who would rob us of today.
So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot oftener, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.
- Robert J. Hastings