Teacher Appreciation Week spotlight: Christopher Chan

In this era of widespread misinformation, teachers are not only the backbone of society but also sanctuaries for true knowledge. During Teacher Appreciation Week, we’re highlighting Christopher Chan, 37, a lecturer in anthropology at Seattle Central College. 

Chan discovered his passion for teaching when he realised he preferred engaging students over working on his own research. He loved being in a community of learners, finding that sitting in a library and doing research all day felt alienating and lonely. Since then, he has been teaching for 12 years. 

Chan earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in anthropology from the University of Washington. Like many students, Chan struggled as an undergraduate and dropped out “multiple times.” It took him some time to decide what he wanted to study, and he changed his major “five times” before finally settling on anthropology.  

Teaching at Seattle Central College allows Chan to form closer relationships with his students. According to Chan, every quarter brings surprises as the “world is changing and the students are changing,” presenting new challenges and possibilities. “We have to rethink how we teach and how we are teaching,” Chan said. He admits that teaching can be emotionally draining. “My heart hurts for students when I hear what’s going on in their lives,” he said.

His previous job as a phone operator in a crisis clinic prepared him for the emotions that come along with teaching. He also finds support in the networks and communities at Seattle Central, which reassures him that he is not alone in supporting students, as teachers are often exposed to “second-hand trauma.”

According to Chan, the future of education rests in the hands of teachers, though he notes an increasing risk of losing resources across the Seattle campuses. He urges students to be “suspicious against scarcity narratives,” emphasizing that students should not feel pressured to do more with less. 

Still, he acknowledges that students are resilient and creative, saying they can create “incredible communities out of nothing.” Chan says his favorite moments as a teacher are whenever he is blown away by his students’ creativity. While the process of helping them develop their ideas can be tedious, he finds it incredibly satisfying.

Chan’s advice for students is to “choose community and to build it” and to remember that the smallest interventions can make the biggest impact. He explores the idea of mutual aid in classes, encouraging students to engage with classmates, offer support, and seek support in return, especially as times can be “lonely, alienating, and depressing.” Lastly, Chan’s advice for his fellow teachers is to collaborate and not compete with each other.