Academic Principal

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Psychology, Minor in Chinese

Steven Szatynski has been living and teaching in China for over a decade. He has achieved fluency in mandarin and has a deep understanding of Chinese culture. This allows him to work with students to develop a learning environment that mixes the best of both Western and Chinese Education practices. He believes the role of the teacher is to guide students learning, not to be the arbiter of truth; the real purpose of learning is not to memorize information and regurgitate standardized answers, but to develop one’s critical thinking skills, build one’s confidence, and to engender a sense of curiosity and wonder towards the world. Steve utilizes his academic focus of Psychology to better understand his students’ behaviors and thinking processes. He believes that understanding each other better is the key to building empathy and trust, which is the key to a successful teacher-student relationship.