October 2018 Newsletter: Employee Spotlight—Raina Li

Chinese teacher Luling (Raina) Li is now in her 13th year of teaching at Shaker Heights Schools. She was the very first Chinese language instructor in the District—and since she arrived in 2006, the District’s program has grown to six teachers who provide more than 2,000 students in Grades 1-12 with Chinese language and cultural instruction. Li Laoshi, as her students call her (laoshi means “teacher” in Chinese), holds the Chinese program close to her heart. She says the program has so many opportunities for growth and she’s determined to see them all to fruition. Read more about Raina Li.

Did you always want to be a Chinese teacher in America?
At first, I was at university studying to be computer science major. But then I went to a camp and when I was there, I met some American students from Wheaton College. These students were missionaries in China and they told me all kinds of stories about living in the United States. It was the first time I had learned about all of your holidays and about Christianity. They made it sound so interesting! So when I went back to college, I decided that I was going to change majors: I wanted to learn English so that I could share and learn more from people who weren’t Chinese. My dream was to be like my camp counselor, Heather, who had such a great influence on other people’s lives. . 

Fast forward a few years and you came to teach in Shaker in 2006?
Yes, I had been teaching English in China and I heard about this special opportunity from the Ohio Department of Education. You could come to the US in Ohio as a volunteer teacher for three years—I knew this would bring me closer to my dream. I went through many interviews and found out that I was one of four people selected from 120 applicants to come to Ohio. They told me that I would be going to this place called Shaker Heights. I was connected with a wonderful host family—my host mom was an FBI special agent!—and I met with [former Shaker Schools Executive Director of Curriculum] Dr. James Paces. He asked me to teach at all five elementary schools so that’s how I started.

Leaving home in your early 20s to move to an entirely different country isn’t such an easy thing to do. How did you manage?
It wasn’t always easy. But I would talk to my mom and she would tell me that this was the time in my life for me to learn. She was so supportive and she gave me the confidence to stay. Also, Dr. Freeman and the District were both supportive. They recommended me to a program at Cleveland State and helped me get a scholarship for my Master’s Degree. And my students became my family for the first couple of years. They really listened to me and said that they appreciated learning about another part of the world. I knew how they felt because I felt the same way when I was learning about the United States. I knew what I was doing had the power to change their perspective because it changed mine.

Now 12 years later, you’re married and you’ve started your family here. And you’re involved in areas beyond teaching, like the District’s Equity Task Force. You’ve really made Shaker your home.
Yes! After a few years, Shaker introduced me to the local immigration attorney Margaret Wong and she helped me to get a working visa, and then later, my green card. The District has been so kind to me and I’ve learned so much from Shaker that I want to do my best to build this Chinese program and to give back as much as I can. So, for me that means making sure my students realize that something like our Confucius Classroom really is special: we’re one of only 10 independent Confucius Classrooms in the United States and we can work directly with Hanban, the Chinese organization that promotes the Chinese language worldwide. Through this program, I have have applied more than $100,000 in grants to support Shaker’s Chinese program. I also make sure the students know that we have opportunities at Hebei International School, our sister school, for our students to stay for up to one school year—because there’s no better way to appreciate Chinese culture and to really learn the language other than by going there and immersing yourself.

Being involved with the Equity Task Force has been really important for me, too. When I first came to the US, I encountered discrimination and I also faced what I now know is implicit bias. It wasn’t easy, but I want to be a part of the change. I’m proud that I was the first international teacher to come to Shaker on a working visa and I’m honored that the Equity Task Force valued my voice enough to include me.

Tell me about your English name, Raina. Did you pick it?
I did! I’ve always loved when it rains and then especially, after it rains. Because that’s how you can see everything pure and clean, and sometimes, beautiful rainbows. So I chose Raina. I know that lots of people like sunshine, but I like rain. It’s a different perspective—that’s who I am.