A Filipina from Cavite is making her mark as a mathematics teacher in eastern China.
Since 2017, Lorelei L. Sarren has been serving as a math teacher in the Zhejiang Fuyang High School, a public school which boasts of an international department. It is known in Hangzhou as one of the key schools noted not just for teaching Chinese culture and values but also in preparing students for studies overseas.
Lorelei has been teaching her students advanced mathematics to help them pass the standardized exams required by universities in the UK, Australia and the US, among others.
She has rich experience to lean on. Before going to China, she had taught mathematics and statistics in different universities in Manila and Dasmariñas.
She moved to Malaysia in 2013 and taught there until 2017, a period when Malaysia was in the process of incorporating technology into teaching curriculum.
Lorelei’s success in upscaling math teaching is earning due recognition. In 2020, the Zhejiang Fuyang High School promoted her as the Head of the Mathematics Department.
Twice she was awarded as an Outstanding Teacher in 2021 and 2023.
Lorelei has published and co-authored textbooks and resource materials used in secondary and tertiary education curricula.
“My skills in writing and teaching have helped me succeed,” she says. “My past experiences as an educator has been finally recognized here in Hangzhou.”
Beyond teaching, she has been also using her organizing skills to serve the local Filipino community. As the president of the Filipino Community in Hangzhou (FilCommHz), she is bringing Filipinos in Zhejiang closer. In collaboration with the Consulate General in Shanghai, she and her group have been working to foster harmony among Filipinos and pushing for cultural exchanges with the Chinese community. They have organized donation drives and relief operations for beneficiaries in the Philippines.
For her students, education is a key to knowledge and success. For Lorelei, it’s a bridge to build trust and friendship among the people of the Philippines and China.
Caviteña math teacher Lorelei #MadeItInChina
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