The 2025-2026 academic year welcomed many new teachers, including Ms. Yalin Du, a new part-time Chinese teacher. Ms. Du has been a teacher for approximately three years, beginning her career in China, where she taught both English and Chinese literature. She later came to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. and continued her teaching career at Princeton University as an Assistant Professor of Chinese Literature. 

Out of all of the various subjects she has taught, Ms. Du has a particular love for teaching Chinese language, explaining, “I really love teaching Chinese. It really forces me to understand my students.” In comparison to teaching Chinese literature, for example, she feels a much stronger connection to her students. This is an aspect she deeply appreciates about PDS; Ms. Du shared, “Because I’m allowed to design my own classes and because the classes here are very small, I get to know each of my students individually and I can customize my class according to their needs.”

To keep her classes engaging and hands-on, Ms. Du often brings students to different spaces around campus, such as the teaching kitchen and the garden, for different activities, including making mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival.  

Teaching at PDS also brings its own set of novelties and surprises. Ms. Du exclaimed, “[I was surprised at] how busy the students are! You’d think undergrads would be busier, but my students have such full schedules, with sports and music and everything. I sometimes worry, ‘How much time do you have left for yourselves?’”

Outside of school, Ms. Du likes being active. She enjoys taking long walks outdoors and also does yoga. 

When asked what piece of advice she’d like to impart on students, Ms. Du responded, “Trust yourselves. I think that’s the most important thing.”

If you run into Ms. Du in the hallway, make sure to give her a warm welcome to the PDS community!