“A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”
Lao Tzu
A. Experience:
Educational:
Co-Founder and Principal: Pax Academy, October 2010 to November 2012.
Private institution located in Tempe; based on four cornerstones: Quality Education, Bilingualism (Chinese Mandarin or Arabic), STEMG and Character Education. Consists of PreK-12 Day School and Enrichment Center. Basic premise: a child should learn at his/her own achievement level, not according to his/her biological age.
True education must be individualized. Listed below are some of the characteristics of Pax Academy:
As of October 2012, Enrichment Center grew from two courses to over a dozen. Day School enrollment grew from 7 to 49. First high school graduate (May 2012) won the AIMS scholarship plus $9,500 in grants. Middle school students won Future City Award of Distinction and Best Future Transportation System Award. Also one student won Arizona finalist for 4th International Child Art Olympiad. Math Kangaroo Competition: one student won 2nd place in 12th grade statewide in 2012. AZ State Fair, Student Art Competition: 19 ribbons in 2011 and 28 ribbons in 2012, including a Best of Show and an Exceptional Merit. Also 4 students won awards at the Chinese National Day and Moon Festival Celebration, poster competition. One 9th grader won 2nd place in the poetry contest of the 2012Asian Festival.
Math program further developed to include system to fill pre-existing gaps in students’ math knowledge.
Foreign language program further developed. Acquisition of foreign language speeds up if two separate curricula are used for listening/speaking and reading/writing respectively.
Program developed to speed up acquisition of Chinese characters.
“No Homework” policy instituted for lower elementary grades. Specifically targeted homework for upper elementary grades and middle school.
Science program developed jointly with Qadri Tung. Majority of students scored “Exceed the standards” on AIMS science. Based on the theory that passion for science leads to self-motivated drive for pursuit of excellence.
Art program: further developed the idea that given the right tools, all children are creative geniuses. Developed training for art teachers.
Test prep program: developed SAT and ACT preparation program based on individual diagnostics. Students boosted their scores by at least 10 points after just two lessons. After a five-lesson course, students all tested into major of their choice with multiple scholarships.
Early Childhood Education: Developed holistic program based on young children’s strengths. Three- and four-year-olds can read, write, count mentally, discuss topics in science, geography and history, speak in Chinese Mandarin or Arabic, and much more.
Computer & technology: All 8th graders passed the MS certification for Word and Excel.
Charter Operator/ Principal: Aim High Institute. Opened August 2009 with 84 students and ended with 99. Focused on STEMG (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Globalism) and character education. Offered Chinese/Mandarin and Arabic from K-8 five hours/week. Students won various awards, including Math Counts, Future City, Southern Arizona Language Fair, Arizona State Science and Engineering Fair. Enrollment by end of May 2010 exceeded 150 for following school year.
Adjunct Faculty, Estrella Mountain Community College. Anatomy and Physiology, Spring 2008 and Fall 2008.
Spring 2008: 5 out of 24 students passed the course.
Fall 2008: I changed the teaching methodology to the brain-based “Spaced Learning”. As a result, an average of 15 /24 students passed both courses.
President, Tung Education Resources. Established in 2007. Main business consists of a) textbook sales and b) educational consulting.
Principal, Arizona Cultural Academy, June 2002 to March 2007
Joined as principal of an Islamic private school in June 2002. Turned a failing school into a highly successful institution. Obtained NCA accreditation in 2003, and approval as IB World School (for the Diploma Programme) in June 2006. Enrollment went from 69 in 2001 to 265 in 2007.
Duties included policy planning and implementation, administrative duties including budgeting, staff training, mentoring, curriculum development, teaching (Science, English, Social Studies, Art, Music, PAYD, Theory of Knowledge, PE).
First batch of seniors graduated May 06: 100% were accepted at the colleges of their choice, and 4 out of 6 obtained merit-based full-tuition scholarships. Second batch graduated May 2007. All won multiple scholarships to ASU. Third class graduated May 2008 and again all were accepted in college while 4 received full-tuition scholarships to ASU.
Students have won over these five years art and writing awards (AZ State Fair, Asian Festival, National Scholastic Silver Award for Art Portfolio, Third International Child Art Olympiad), Future City awards, Arabic Poetry and Drama awards (Southern AZ Language Fair) etc and in ’06 one Outstanding Young Woman of the Year (City of Phoenix District 2).
Created a course entitled Pro-Active Youth Development from Grades 1-10 combining character education, peer mediation, self-identity, etiquette, preventive psychology, and marriage preparation.
Revolutionized math curriculum using a combination of Mental Abacus and Singapore Math Curriculum.
Revived and improved the School Council, whose goal was to be the main school-based governance body at ACA.
Led a dynamic and active NCA School Improvement Committee (2003-present). One of the most important achievements was the restructuring of the Arabic Department in terms of curriculum, staffing, and class repartition, into a successful Arabic as a Second Language Department.
Iqra Academy, St Croix, US Virgin Islands, Consultant for School Improvement Plan.
Board member of ISLA (Islamic Schools League of America), 2012
Member of Planning Committee, 7th Annual ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) Educational Forum (2007 and 2011)
Consulted by various Islamic schools on school improvement
Arizona State University East (April 2005), guest speaker
Annur Islamic School, Schenectady, NY (June 2005), weekend workshop on school improvement.
Grant Reviewer:
Compassion Capital Fund Federal Grants, June 2006.
Homeschooling mother and activist:
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (June 1993 to June 1995)
Phoenix, AZ (June 1995 to May 2002). Arizona Contact Person for MHSNR (Muslim Homeschooling Network and Resources). Established and ran Art Fair and Music Festival, and standardized testing (Stanford 9) for WSHE (Westside Home Educators). Represented Calvert School, Baltimore at AFHE (Arizona Families for Home Education) Annual State Conference June 1996. Presented workshop on Singapore Math at AFHE Annual State Conference (July 2001) and on comparative math and Singapore Math at Covenant Home School Resources Annual Conference (May 2002).
Homeschooled on and off seven children: #1 entered UofA at 18, B.S. Molecular Cellular Biology, M.Ed. in Educational Leadership. #2 entered UofA at 17, Computer Science and Math, M.Sc. in Computer Science, presently working on PhD in Computer Science. #3 entered ASU at 16, Industrial Engineering, then transferred to Graphic Information Technology and Journalism. Presently working on M.A. in Design. #4 entered ASU at 15, Communications and Chinese Flagship Program, worked with Pax Academy for one year, now at UCSD for MA in International Relations –Asia Pacific. #5 entered ASU as a sophomore (with credits from Paradise Valley Community College) at 15, majored in Industrial Design, then transferred to Painting, with second major in Chinese Flagship. #6 is a freshman at ASU this coming fall, age 16, triple major: Digital Culture, Intermedia and Chinese Flagship. All were on full-tuition merit-based scholarships except #5 (because of status as sophomore instead of freshman). #7 is still in high school, age 14.
Private tutor:
AZ: 2011 to present. All subjects, all levels.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 1990 up to June 1995. Tutored individuals and groups, all ages (including medical school students), subjects: math, piano, art, history, biology.
Science Teacher: Manarat Jeddah School for Girls, grades 7-10, 1990 to 1993. Prepared 10th graders for IGCSE (University of Cambridge) exams.
Chinese Community School in Jeddah (1989-95): Established and directed weekend Chinese School for expatriates in Jeddah, PreK through Grade 6.
Psychiatry lecturer: for medical and nursing students from University of Jordan at Fuheis Psychiatric Hospital (Ministry of Health), Jordan, 1981-83.
Medical:
Senior Resident in Psychiatry, Head of Female Psychiatry Ward, Erfan Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 1983 to 1984.
Junior Psychiatric Resident, Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Jordan 1981-1983.
Intern: Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan. One month elective rotation in Psychiatry.
Journalistic:
Columnist: Bi-weekly column in Pakistan West on education since January 2012. Bi-weekly column Education & Parenting, Al Mashreq weekly, Phoenix, AZ, since January 2011.
Newsletter Editor: a) monthly online newsletter Pax News, to about 1,600 recipients, since November 2010; b) weekly online newsletter CAIR-AZ to about 1,000 recipients, May to November 2007.
Freelance: occasional articles to AZ Muslim Voice (since 2002), AZ Chinese News, Asian-American Times (since 2008).
Freelance writer to: Hsin Sheng Pao (Taipei, Taiwan); Arab News (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), Middle East Health (UK) – also Jordan Correspondent; and the Jordan Times : over 200 articles (including as Art and Music Critic) between 1977 and 1989.
Political:
Executive Director, CAIR-AZ (Council on American-Islamic Relations, Arizona Chapter), May to November 2007.
Ran twice for a seat (representing overseas Chinese in Middle East, Western Asia and North Africa) on the Legislative Assembly of Taiwan, Republic of China in 1981 and 1989.
As daughter of a diplomat, took part in numerous formal diplomatic functions throughout my youth, in various countries.
B. Memberships and Awards:
Board Member, Islamic School League of America (ISLA), 2012 to present
Board Member, Organization of Chinese Americans, (OCA), 2011 to present
Member, Festival Committee Chair, Arizona Asian-American Association, 2011 to present
Community Service Award, from AMWA (American Muslim Women Association), 2005
Member of ASCD, AEA, NEA, MENC, MTNA , at various times, 1986-present
Award for Outstanding Contribution to Cultural and Economic Sino-Arab Relations, 1981, from the Sino-Arab Cultural and Economic Association. This award was personally presented by Vice-President Hsieh of the Republic of China.
Muslim Youth of the Year, 1980, awarded by the Chinese Muslim Association, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Member of Jordan Press Association, Jordan Medical Association (1981-82)
C. Papers & Presentations:
ISNA Educational Forum, April 6-8, 2007: How to Turn a Sinking Dinosaur Into A Winning Racehorse -- The ACA Arabic Restructure Project.
National Educational Leadership Conference, Islamic Schools League of America, Nov. 10-11, 2006, Chicago. How to Implement the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in an Islamic School. Also represented Islamic Schools on the opening interfaith panel.
ISNA Educational Forum, April 2005: Implementing a School Improvement Plan in an Islamic School.
NCA Annual Meeting, April 2003: How Singapore Math is on the Rise in American Education and Why; April 2004: Singapore Math: Implementation Results.
Teaching Certification, Secondary, with endorsement in French, AZ Department of Education, 2003.
Substitute Certification, valid till 2013
Spalding I (2002) and Spalding II (2003) certificates, Spalding Education International, Phoenix, AZ
International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge training course, 2003
University of Phoenix, courses in Educational Leadership and Administration, totaling 23 credit hours, Phoenix, AZ, 2002-03
Advanced Diploma of Education, University of London, UK, June 1995 ( modules in Science Teaching, Child Development, and Educational Management)
MBBS, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan, June 1980 (equivalent to an MD in the US)
ABRSM (Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music), UK: Singing Grade 7, with Merit; Music Theory Grade 5; Piano Grade 4, with Merit.
E. Skills, Interests & Hobbies:
1. Fluent in four languages:
Spoken
Written
English
Fluent
Excellent
French
Fluent
Excellent
Chinese (Mandarin)
Fluent
Good
Arabic (Levantine)
Fairly fluent
Fair
Computer Skills: fluent in Word, Excel, Outlook. Took two courses in Access and developed school registration program in 2006.
Arts and Crafts, especially watercolor painting and Chinese brush painting. Exhibited at West Valley Art Museum, Surprise, AZ, 2002; and Art Institute of Phoenix, April 2012.
Music, especially singing, but also piano. Member and soloist of YWCA Choir, Amman, Jordan, 1980-83. Choir director: Haya Art Center Choir (1981-82), Chinese Community School Choir (1989-95), Tung Family Singers (1997 onwards), Arizona Muslim Youth Choir (2001), ACA Choir and Drum Band (2002-2007), Voices of Light (2008), Aim High Institute Choir (2009-10), Pax Choir (2010-12). Member of Glendale Community College Choir (2009) and Arizona Chinese Choir (2011-12).
