After many years working as an equities analyst and financial journalist in the US stock markets, a friend persuaded her to volunteer once a week at her preschool. In the beginning, she found herself mainly supervising and observing, unsure how to jump into the children’s world of imagination and play. But little by little, she rediscovered her inner child, and that one hour each week quickly became the highlight of her schedule.
Playing with Legos and debating the plot of Frozen with four-year-olds sparked something unexpected in her: a genuine passion for education. Soon after, she began teaching at the Business School of her local university, and her journey as an educator truly began, a journey that has now spanned 17 years.
Teaching Across Divided Histories
Through a strange coincidence, the countries Shawn has lived and taught in, Germany, South Korea, and Vietnam, have all experienced division as nations. In each place, she has seen how a past marked by separation and rebuilding has created a powerful cultural emphasis on education. As both a teacher and a mother, she empathizes with and deeply respects that desire to secure the best possible future for the next generation. These experiences have shaped her into a more compassionate and reflective educator, committed to fostering not only academic growth but also a sense of hope and resilience in her students.
Literary Influences
Shawn has been deeply influenced by classic literature and the timeless voices of authors such as Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, and the stories of Greek mythology. Fantasy writers like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and George MacDonald opened her imagination to the power of storytelling and moral truth, while German writers and philosophers such as Hermann Hesse, Rilke, and Kafka shaped her appreciation for introspection and symbolism.
These writers were, in many ways, her childhood companions. Through their works, she first discovered a love of reading that became the foundation of her lifelong learning and creative journey, and continues to inform how she teaches literature and the humanities today.
Life Beyond the Classroom
Shawn grew up in the mountains of California, near the Pacific Crest Trail, where a love of the outdoors became a central part of her life. Today, proximity to nature remains one of her keys to happiness and balance. Hiking, whether in the Alps, in the mountains surrounding Seoul such as Bukhansan, or in the rice fields of Sa Pa, helps her stay grounded and restores her sense of peace. This connection to nature gives her space to reflect and renews the energy she brings to her teaching and learning each day.
