I am writing to support Yu “Taylor” Zhong to be re-elected as a member of WW-P Board of Education. I have known Taylor since my child began to attend kindergarten about three years ago. Initially, I approached him to learn more about school policies. Over the years, he has become not only a reliable source for school policies and procedures, but also a trusted friend and advisor for our family on education issues.
Taylor shows genuine interest in the welfare of children in our district. I met him the first time in a discussion group focusing on educational issues. Taylor asked me about my child’s name and how he liked his classes. I gave him my child’s name and told him he felt bored with his math classes.
When we met again several months later, he mentioned my child’s name and asked how he was doing with his math class. I was quite impressed, since my child doesn’t have a common name, and I am sure he is not the only kid who have complained about his math classes.
Many friends have also commented on Taylor’s remarkable capability of remembering children’s names and his sincere interest in them. The fact that he takes the trouble of knowing every kid around him by name shows that he really cares about them.
Taylor also strikes me as a well-informed and balanced policy maker. Our district has a large number of Chinese students. Celebrating the Chinese New Year is an important part of our cultural tradition. But the Chinese New Year’s Day often falls on a working day.
To make the Chinese New Year a real holiday for Chinese kids, but also not to lose one school day for other students, our school has made the Chinese New Year’s Day a professional development day. What a smart decision. When I learned that Taylor was a leading supporter of this initiative, I felt he not only has the community’s diverse interests in heart, but also can find ways to balance these interests.
Taylor once told me that one principle he lives by as a school board member is to maximize each student’s welfare without compromising that of any other student. I know this is easier said than done. But with Taylor’s hard work and commitment to our schools, our students have, and will continue to, benefit from his leadership. I fully support Taylor Yu Zhong for another term on WW-P’s Board of Education.
Ming Pan
West Windsor
