Rick Taira is American and grew up in California. He did his undergraduate degree at the Columbia University in New York City. He subsequently earned four separate master’s degrees. The first was an MSW from Columbia University. He went on to earn several more graduate degrees in linguistics (Macquarie University, NSW) and education (Bard College, New York). He is currently completing a Masters in School Administration (Wayne State College, Nebraska). He takes the phrase “life-long learner” to a new level. Currently head of the Qingdao Academy English Department, Rick also teaches language arts classes to fulfill his instructional duties. He teaches 9th grade language arts. He will also be co-coaching the debate club with Ms. Lee. His administrative responsibilities include curriculum development and instructional coaching. Mr. Taira has a unique teaching philosophy that has developed from his extensive experience as an ESL teacher in Asia. He views his work with his Chinese students as a cultural exchange. He often says, “I learn from my students, and they learn from me.” He is also quite versed in strategies that specifically help second language learners. Most importantly, he values the teacher/student relationship and sees it as the key to increasing student achievement levels.