Noven Chiu: Building Confidence and Culture in Children

In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week, DEL would like to highlight some of the state’s outstanding teachers from varying programs and areas.

Noven Chiu is originally from Hong Kong, China, and is a Head Start Lead Teacher at the Denise Louie Education Center (DLEC). DLEC provides high-quality multicultural early learning and family support services so that Seattle kids will be ready to succeed in school and life.

Chiu has worked with DLEC for over 10 years.

“She has been a major contributor to DLEC's success,” said Susan Yang, Executive Director of DLEC. “She has extensive knowledge about cultural competency and how to incorporate cultural values in the classroom.”

According to Yang, Noven builds and continues to maintain positive relationships with the families and children she serves. She took leadership in supervising the International District Center in the absence of a director, led a Dual Language workshop with the Center for Linguistic and Cultural Democracy, and is now a certified CLASS Observer. She is a peer mentor to all of the staff and she continues to seek out other opportunity for professional development. 

“Her passion for early education is admirable, and she is the epitome of a great teacher,” said Yang.

Chiu’s curriculum is usually two-years long and incorporates multiple languages and cultures into student work.

“After the kids come to our agency, they are confident in their culture and values. They appreciate learning and enter kindergarten with a willingness to learn new things,” said Chiu. “I really like my program. We can help the children learn about other cultures and learn the basics of other languages, and they also keep the culture and language they were born with.”

Chiu currently has 19 children in her classroom, a majority of which are Chinese speakers. The children in her classroom are encouraged to solve problems on their own, answer open-ended questions, develop critical-thinking skills, and as Chiu puts it, “gain confidence and learn to trust themselves.”

Chiu instructing at DLEC.

Thank you Noven Chiu and DLEC for teaching and encouraging some of Washington’s littlest learners!