Denise and her cat Yuki.
Denise Tan works for the Open Doors and Juvenile Justice/Detention programs in the Student & School Success department.
How long have you worked for ESD 112 and what does your job entail?
I have worked for ESD 112 almost 8 years, starting as a GAP Specialist. This past year my job is now working as an Instructional Assistant for the Open Doors GED program. I work with students who are currently working toward their GED. I am also working for the detention school program in the mornings.
What do you like best about your job?
Working with the students who are getting their GED, specializing with the math portion of the GED.
It seems that math is your passion! Can you explain what is it that you love about math?
I can ask a student about their interest and or hobbies and show how math can be applied toward that interest. It is used everyday even if a person is not aware of it.
How to you approach teaching math with students who have struggled with traditional schooling?
I will ask the student when was it they last completed a math course, and what is it about math they do not like about it. I show the students actually how important and practical math is to the world they live in. But most of all I approach math like learning a foreign language.
What do you find most challenging about your job?
Finding new ways to help students who have not had or have had difficulties in the past with understanding math.
What did you want to be when you were little?
psychologist
What is the most interesting place you’ve ever lived?
Vancouver, WA. We live in an area with so much variety that will pique anyone’s interest. It is mostly the geography of this area. We can travel almost any direction an hour or two and find ourselves in a different world. Whether is it is the mountains, ocean, or even the big towns near us such as Portland and up north Seattle.
Single? Married? Kids? Pets?
I am married with 2 teenage children. I have two cats.
What future events are you looking forward to?
The graduation of my daughter this year from high school and Clark College.
What do you enjoy doing with your free time?
Spending time with my family.
What was your most interesting past job?
Work with the homeless families as a case manager.
What’s your favorite ESD memory?
Running into a past student who wanted to thank me for helping them getting through the math portion of the GED, how much they appreciated the help.
What is the funniest thing that you heard or saw recently?
Watching my cat Yuki running up and down some shelving my husband put up on the walls for him.
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