Teaching Capabilities Statement

Xinyue Ru

Born in a family of teachers, I understand the role of a teacher through my unique

experiences I witness and go through. Although every teacher is one-of-a-kind, what they
might all have in common is to motivate the students to fulfil their own potential. It’s
teachers’ lifelong love, enthusiasm and responsibility that make a difference. Like my
mom, a patient and hardworking teacher, she has been updating her professional
knowledge and latest teaching strategy into her teaching. Additionally, she also cares
about her students’ mental health, not just about academic performances, which helps
her form a positive relationship with the students. Last December, it’s also my great
privilege to be guided and supervised by Miss Lin, an outstanding experienced teacher in
a famous senior high school. As an observer, I’ve learned how to solve students’
complexity by breaking them down and how to break through students’ bottleneck
period. When I observed her teaching, I saw her eyes shining with ardour and
earnestness. After classes, she always looks back to seek possible adjustments or
improvements. What impresses me most is her devotion towards her job. It’s her genuine
attitude towards teaching that motivates me to be a teacher.

Majoring in Economics in Arts Faculty at University of Melbourne in 2017, my path

towards Master of teaching is not that easy. However, I chose to envisage those obstacles
with courage for four years. The deeper I learn in my field, the better I absorb the
knowledge and internalise the material and further nail down my goal as a teacher.
Moreover, the more I learn, the more confident I feel. I can clearly see my progress made
in the recent two years, where I managed to obtain 8 subjects surpassed H3 out of 11 and
achieve a WAM of 69.455. And most of all, I've formed the habit of keeping account of
my transactions since I study abroad, which allows me to receive prompt feedback of my
consumption habits, and closely relate to economics knowledge further.

It’s my perseverance and passion towards the piano that drives me to study a diploma in
music at University of Melbourne. During these years, I passed the ABRSM grade 8 at the
age of 12 and I also won quite a few awards in various competitions. One of the things
that worth highlighting is that I served as a accompaniment in Collingwood Senior
Citizen's Centre in 2019 in Melbourne, Australia, where I joined a veterans’ orchestra and
we succeeded in holding a concert before we said goodbye.

I have always been passionate towards languages. Therefore, after I received the
certification of TCFL (Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language), I served as a host in
Language Exchange Club at the University of Melbourne for three years, where my main
job is to teach foreigners fundamental Mandarin and collaborate with other hosts.
Through teaching I feel a sense of achievement when I share Chinese culture with
foreigners and through communicating with other hosts and “students” I am content with
my improving communication skills.
I once had an opportunity to volunteer in Father Bobs Maguire Foundation as my summer
term internship, where I worked with kids, promoting STEAM education in a hands-on
way on a bus. The bus travels around Melbourne city and regional areas. I’ve always
found such experience enjoyable and pleasant. The mind of young people are, more or
less, more flexible and free of limitations - that’s what I found, the most interesting part
while I was involved with them. They can imagine a restaurant run by insects, construct a
basement for aliens and build mobile accomodation for homeless people, and so on.
Their creative thinking are boundless and their exhaustless energy make you reborn and
feel you have the potential to change the world in an extraordinary way. They are not only
problem-raisers but also trouble-shooters, where they tried to realise their thoughts using
recycled materials. My supervisor and I ensured full participation and supported the
children whenever needed. From the kids I’ve learned a valuable lesson, which is to
dream big and start out small and I feel like I also have the responsibility, as a future
teacher, to make sure that no one’s left behind, like what Father Bobs taught me.

Moreover, I once taught kids phonetic symbols in a Chinese nursery and I understand
teachers’ role through respecting kids’ feelings with empathy and patience as equals.
During the first class I spotted one of the boys crying loudly. Seeing this, some teachers
scolded him angrily for disturbing the classroom order, which made the boy cry even
more loudly. However, I managed to comfort him by hugging him gently and asking him
what had happened. Eventually the boy calmed down and focused on the contents I
taught. I have a feeling that empathy and patience help build positive relationship
between teachers and students.

As stated above, I am not that easily knocked down by trials set in front of me. Therefore,
I am a person of resilience and I can bounce back quickly even from unfavourable
circumstances. Since I have the dual experiences of studying in both international and
regular high school, I have formed the habit of thinking critically, where I enjoy comparing
difference between western and eastern education and finding the more appropriate
method to solve problems when I scrutinise specific cases or fields. Besides, studying
abroad at University of Melbourne enlarges my vision. Interestingly, I have read many
pedagogic books long before I apply for master of teaching - but I don’t think it’s enough,
since there’s still a long way to go. There’s an old proverb in China called “Zhi Xing He
Yi”, which means to combine “knowing” with “doing” - this reflects in teaching too, and I
am looking forward to integrating what I’ve learned with real-life practice one day.