John Lee: An Involved Teacher

Niles West Social Studies teacher John Lee strives to make an impact on Niles West High School, as this is his third year teaching here. Lee, who attended Evanston Township High School and graduated with a degree in secondary education from Northwestern, was always drawn to teaching.

Lee was torn between majoring in medicine or teaching, but his senior year of college was the deciding year for him. Lee knew that he desired to have daily interactions with people at his job, and his encouraging teachers pushed him to make his decision. “I knew that I always wanted to work with people as part of my job,” Lee said.

Choosing District 219 wasn’t a tough decision, Lee was familiar with Niles West and always wanted to stay close to the area that he grew up in. “Once I started student-teaching at Niles North, I was impressed by the diversity of the student body and wanted to stay in the district. I was also surprised by all the extracurriculars that both schools had to offer,” Lee said.

Although this is Lee’s first year as a teacher, he was able to quickly adapt to the school community, as he was welcomed by both teachers and students who feel fortunate to have him here. “Mr. Lee has become an integral part of the social studies department. He brings a calm demeanor, a vast knowledge of history and an abundance of candy. He is a terrific colleague and it’s no surprise that so many students love being in his classes as well as working with him outside of class in Model UN. We are very lucky to have him at Niles West,” social studies teacher Matthew Wiemer said.

From being a student teacher during remote learning to teaching his own classes has been a very enjoyable change for Lee. His first year of subbing during remote learning made it more difficult to communicate and build meaningful connections with students. “Online was really un-enjoyable, not many people turned on their cameras. It’s definitely more enjoyable versus hard to be teaching in person,” Lee said.

Lee teaches Modern World History, Asian American Studies, World Religion, and Civics. He was always passionate about both social studies and Asian American studies throughout college. He was very impressed that Niles West offered an Asian American studies course and was eager to teach it this year.

“Asian American studies was my minor in college so it was already a passion to begin with. It’s so cool that our school offers this course, it’s a nice space for students to talk about their individual experiences and helps understand the full picture of US history,” Lee said.

Outside of teaching his classes, Lee dedicates his time to different parts of the school and the community. Lee keeps himself busy by being involved in a variety of clubs that our school has to offer. He takes part in the Muslim Student Association, Pan-Asian Student Association, Model UN and Esports.

“He is, quite frankly, an inspiration to anyone who is fortunate enough to know him (students or staff). I have so much respect and admiration for Mr. Lee both as an educator and as a human being, it is impossible for me to accurately or even fairly summarize his awesomeness in a few quotes. A few of the many things that stand out to me are his willingness to tackle difficult topics in his classes in extremely courageous, thoughtful, and responsible ways,” social studies teacher Daniel Kosiba said.

Lee’s commitment towards bringing positivity to our school community does not go unseen. “His willingness to grow, reflect, work to become the best teacher he can be had been extraordinary to witness. Mr. Lee’s willingness and ability to build relationships with students by taking on extracurricular leadership roles like Model UN sponsor, PASA co-sponsor, and Muslim Student Association co-sponsor with me after school every Friday has also been remarkable and incredibly impactful. Our department and school community, in general, is so much better off with Mr. Lee in it,” Kosiba said.

As the coach of Model UN, Lee has led the team to multiple victories, such as being awarded “Best Small Delegation” at the recent Saint Ignatius Model UN competition and helping students achieve personal victories.

One of his proudest moments of being at Niles West this year was seeing all of his students compete at the Model UN conference, as well as being able to build relationships with all of the new and returning team members. “Mr. Lee had created such a welcoming environment for students and is very open to new ideas. He always asks for student input, and allows the club to be very student-led. He is extremely fun to be around and always has a cheery attitude,” sophomore Nabiah Sheikh said.

Outside of school, some of Lee’s hobbies include watching anime, working out to stay healthy and brushing up on his cello skills.