Retired Faculty & Staff

After more than 30 years as an educator, Jewel Xie will retire at the end of this school year. An accomplished teacher and linguist, Xie Laoshi (pronounced She-la-Shur) arrived at McDonogh in 2016 to teach Lower School Chinese classes and has taught children as young as four years old to speak her language. After only a few short weeks, her prekindergarten students are fully engaged and eagerly exchange greetings, sing songs, and count objects in Mandarin while exploring the Asian culture. 

She is dedicated to providing excellent lessons that meet the needs of her students. They speak with enthusiasm about their experiences in her class, fondly recalling learning how to make dumplings and about the traditions of the Lunar New Year. Her style of teaching is an inspiration to her colleagues as well. 

When asked what she will miss most about teaching, Xie Laoshi (pronounced She-la-Shur) immediately says, “I will miss the sparks in the eyes of young children which could mean so many different things like ‘Oh, I get it,’ or ‘I did it,’ or ‘Tell me more.’ Seeing those sparks is extremely satisfying and inspires me to be a better teacher.”

She says she will also miss the laughter she shares with her friends and colleagues, saying, “What I shared with my colleagues is much deeper and broader than a moment of joy. It will stay in my memory forever.” 

A trained journalist and researcher Xie Laoshi (pronounced She-la-Shur) has a broad knowledge of Chinese history, politics, culture, and social development. Over the years, she has applied her Chinese language expertise to writing, editing, translation, and academic research. She even authored several books and articles addressing the human rights of Chinese women. 

Jewel, you are a true gem! Thank you for your dedicated service to McDonogh and to students worldwide. We wish you the very best. 

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