In the fall of 2019, Friends Select School welcomed Peter Sun to our community as a member of the history department. Prior to coming to Friends Select, Peter worked as an educator for 17 years, teaching a variety of subjects including Social Studies and Asian American History. 

Not originally intending to become a teacher after graduating from University of Maryland, Peter went on to study in a Seminary and to become a Christian Minister. But during his time in the Seminary, he learned about Asian religions and discovered that his passion actually lies in Asian Studies.  Instead of working in a church, Peter went to Boston University for Ph.D, eventually guiding him to a career in education. 

In his early years as a teacher, Peter worked at a high school that was run very much like a liberal arts college: classes were exhausting and workloads were heavy. When Peter tried to build stronger relationships with his students, he found that the intense curriculum made students tired of learning. Due to this experience, Peter became a more empathetic teacher, giving students a more manageable workload and trying to make the curriculum more enjoyable for students.  

Peter’s early teaching experience helped him develop the belief that students are at the center of education: different students may encounter different difficulties that need to be addressed with different teaching methods. “I care about kids first– I want kids to have a sense of belonging to the school and a sense of ownership of the school.” Peter said, adding that he will always be willing to “change things to make the experience better for my students.”

Through cooperating with students and constantly re-adjustmenting his curriculum based on student needs, Peter hopes that students will walk out of his class being more “woke”. “My experience in the Seminary and my interest in Asian Studies made me very concerned about racism and religious intolerance,” said Peter, “ I hope that my class will raise students’ awareness of injustices existing in our society.”

Peter shares this common value with Friends Select, and his rich teaching experience and positive attitude will bring vitality to the school community. We look forward to having Peter Sun in our school this year.