Eric Quang was awarded the Milken Teacher of Promise for the Kailua-Kalaheo District. Quang earned a Master of Education in Teaching (MEdT) degree from the UH Mānoa College of Education (COE) School of Teacher Education (STE). His specialization is Secondary Education in Japanese Language.
“Receiving a Teacher of Promise Award was really unexpected,” Quang said. “Knowing that I am supported by a truly wonderful community of educators and administrators at Kalaheo High School, the DOE World Language community, and most importantly my students is what makes teaching Japanese rewarding.”
Quang, who teaches Japanese 1–4 at Kalaheo High School, also served as the schoolʻs ELL coordinator during his first year of teaching. He has guided his Japanese 3 and 4 students through a shadow puppet show as part of a project-based language learning (PBLL) unit, culminating in their performance for the school and community.
“The MEdT program helped me greatly through the field placement and student teaching experience,” Quang said. “I was connected with two awesome mentor teachers, Mio Satou-sensei and Nancy Kishi-sensei, at Pearl City and Waipahu High Schools. Without their support, guidance, and experiences in the classroom, I would not be where I am today.”
In addition to his mentor teachers in the field, Quang says the COE faculty and staff have also had a major impact on his journey, including Jim McKown, Scott Robinson, Tara Plachowski, ʻAlohilani Okamura, and Patricia Massoth.
“All of these people truly inspired me to do my best every day,” Quang said. “I also want to thank my Statewide Cohort 64 for being the best support group on our way to becoming educators. And most importantly, I want to thank all of my students. Their curiosity, energy, and passion to learn Japanese motivates me so much, and I could not have asked for a better group of students to teach in my first two years!”
Quang has been participating in the collegeʻs STE Field Study program in Sendai and Kyoto, Japan since 2024. He is currently working on a project in Massoth’s STE 403C course to leverage his time in Japan to research and create authentic lessons and strategies for Hawaiʻi students who are studying Japanese language.
