Gavin Ching

This is a biography of Gavin Ching with the primary focus on the major events that impacted and shaped him as an educator.  The three events that had the most influence on Mr. Ching was his learning through games, his time spent as an ocean lifeguard, and his work as a substitute teacher.

A son of a school teacher, early on Gavin began to fall behind in reading skills.  Concerned but not panicked his parents encouraged him to play a variety of strategy games with his older brother.  Reading rules, mathematical planning, story telling were all emphasized in these games.  It is then that he realized that learning happens in games and when you are having fun.  Games have become a central part of Mr. Ching’s teaching.

The second greatest impact on Gavin Ching was his time as an ocean lifeguard.  This helped shape his character.  As far as being an educator, it is during this time that proper leadership was modeled to him.  His supervisors gave him task and growth targets he could excel at.  They were friendly, but in a professional way.  He also learned how to work in a system larger than himself, and most important, that one must always pursue training and learning to improve. These are critical skills that has guided him as a teacher.

Finally after college Gavin Ching began working as a substitute teacher.  Originally he thought it would be a job to make some extra money.  However, he soon learned how much he enjoyed working with students.  As important was he his ability to see examples of good teaching and poor teaching.  Gavin Ching learned many strategies during his time as a sub, so when it came time for him to start his own career, he already felt he had a solid background in teaching.