This is a continuation of the story Women Among Boys.

Gene and Alice Oltrogge Master Teaching Chair and Chinese instructor Janet Lin grew up attending an all-girls school in Taiwan, and later taught at a coed school. At first, she was hesitant to teach here. But when invited to visit campus, her view of the school changed.

She found that the boys here did not match the stereotype she held in her mind. They opened doors for her. They were polite. They said hello to her, a complete stranger to them.

So when the time came to apply for a position at the school, she had a change of heart.

But her first year as a teacher on campus was not perfect.

“The first year was pretty difficult,” Lin said. “The boys wanted to show that this is their territory.”

In the Chinese classroom, having had one teacher at the helm for decades, Lin understood it would take time to adjust as a newcomer.

“Overall, I think I won them back,” Lin said. “Now it’s much better than the first year. I better understand my students and have earned their trust.”

But even after growing accustomed to life at an all-boys school, there are still areas she hopes to improve.

“If you told me, in this working environment, there’s no challenge,” Lin said, “that would be a lie.”

Among colleges, Lin finds the environment here different from her previous school. She finds it more distant. While fellow instructors are always polite and professional, she found it less tightknit than her old school, at least initially. 

“Do I say I belong here the first year? No. Second year? No. It gradually feels like this is my home, my second home,” Lin said.

While it took time to adjust, Lin knows that it goes both ways. 

“I think I need to have an open mind to accept and know my colleagues, go to the cafeteria to eat with them at lunchtime, and know them more personally. I’m not an outgoing person, but I forced myself to go there to have lunch with them, so I can talk to them, and I can listen to them. I think gradually I felt like everybody is so nice here, so understanding, so respectful of other cultures,” Lin said.

Yet even still, sometimes, Lin feels she is underestimated. As a female from Taiwan, having a different background and upbringing separates her from many colleagues. She wants to prove that she is more than just a Chinese teacher.

“I can contribute my knowledge to the history department. I can teach Chinese history. I can teach to PE classes. I can go to teach them how to do the yo yo. How to do Tai Chi. I need to put myself out to them and know my capability,” Lin said. “Other teachers may not need to do that. If he’s American, if he is a man then people say, okay, he’s capable. But for me, I have to show people I can do that.”

Lin has shown this desire to display her capabilities around campus through her time serving as a class sponsor from 2022-23. Her organization of a school-wide Lunar New Year celebration. Her role as an International Week sponsor. 

“I think a male teacher doesn’t have to earn the respect from the student, but a female teacher does,” Lin said.

Lin understands the ease with which students look up to male role models. Being the same gender as a teacher or coach allows students to see themselves in their shoes, looking up to the men they aspire to one day become. But Lin knows she can still make an impact.

“If I’m just staying in my classroom, I can only be teaching Chinese,” Lin said, “but if I reach out I can show that, as males and females, we can both work together and make everything better.”

Part of the most rewarding aspects of her job are the relationships Lin has with her former students. Having helped them grow throughout their time in high school, seeing the men her students become reaffirms Lin’s belief that she is making a difference.

“They still keep in touch with me,” Lin said. “They still seek my advice. They still think I’m someone they can talk to, and I feel that’s the most rewarding thing, as a teacher, I can get.”

One of the most meaningful lessons Lin teaches to her students is in her AP Chinese class, where Lin leads discussions through a unit on gender inequality, having the chance to cover a topic that she not only values deeply, but also believes will prepare her students for their time beyond the classroom.

“I think education is so important,” Lin said. “That’s why I try to teach my boys how to treat everybody equally. It doesn’t matter if it’s a male or a female. Treat people as human beings. Treat a female as you treat your mom, treat your sisters. That’s what I want my boys, my students, to learn from here.”