Clear Stream welcomes new assistant principal

Yannie Chon’s commute got a little shorter this summer. After 16 years as a teacher and literacy coach in Queens, the Valley Stream resident is the new assistant principal of Clear Stream Avenue School in District 30.

Chon got her first job teaching kindergarten at P.S. 24 Andrew Jackson School in Queens. She said she took over the class in the middle of the year, and 18 of the 26 students didn’t speak English. Already holding a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University in elementary and special education, that experience encouraged her to go back for her master’s degree in ESL, which she earned from Adelphi University.

After teaching kindergarten and first grade for seven years, Chon became the school’s literacy coach. She said that put her at the forefront of research on literacy education, and allowed her to work directly with teachers on improving instruction. She said that children learn in many different ways, and that she emphasized individual instruction so that every child could reach their learning potential. “Education is not the same as when we went to school,” she said. “It’s not the same for everyone.”

Chon said she is excited to bring her skills to Clear Stream Avenue and the Washington Avenue Kindergarten Center. She noted that the people of Valley Stream are a hard-working group who want what’s best for their children.

She said welcomes the opportunity to work in a multicultural community. Her last school was also very diverse, Chon said, with children speaking more than 40 languages.

Chon joins Principal John Singleton to form the new administrative team at the school. She said that several teachers have stopped in to her office this summer to introduce themselves, and many have said they are looking for some stability at Clear Stream. Singleton is the fourth principal there in the past seven years and Chon the third assistant principal in the past three years. “They all want strong leadership,” Chon said of the building’s staff. “They want someone to support them and they want to be led.”

She said she expects that the pair will, in fact, bring the stability everyone wants. She explained that she likes to make a commitment to a place, citing her decade and a half working at her former school in Queens. Chon said she and Singleton both want to do what is best for children. “John and I really clicked,” she said. “We already finish each other’s sentences.”

Singleton said that Chon’s strong knowledge of literacy and knowledge of the state standards will be an asset to teachers and students. He noted that she will be able to help both veteran teachers and new teachers grow as educators.

“She’s going to be excellent,” Singleton said. “She’s already been doing so much.”

In addition to meeting the building’s staff, Chon has already spent a good deal of the summer reviewing student performance. She said her top priority is supporting the teachers so they can help students achieve.

Chon said she also wants to work closely with the parents. She said as a literacy coach in Queens, she held family reading nights, as well as workshops for parents on how they could help their children at home. The learning doesn’t stop when the school day ends, she explained. “All parents want to help their kids,” she said. “It’s just a matter of how and when.”

As a working mother herself, Chon said she understands how difficult it can be, but knows how to find those meaningful moments. She even has a basket of books between the two car seats.

After growing up in Astoria, Chon moved to Valley Stream five years ago. She has a daughter, 7, who attends Wheeler Avenue School, and a 4-year-old son. “I’m a soccer mom,” she says.

Chon said she believes that her previous experience as a teacher and literacy coach has prepared her well for her new position as assistant principal. She said she has a knowledge of what works in the classroom.

Most importantly, Chon said, she puts her heart into it. Her passion for education and helping children succeed motivates her to come to work every single day. “I wanted to choose a career I could do forever,” she said. “I really believe you have to follow your heart and do what you love.”