About Dr. Kha Yang Xiong
Dr. Kha Yang Xiong was born in a Hmong village in the hills of Laos. At the end of the Vietnam War, her family fled to escape persecution and settled in the refugee camps of Thailand. When she was seven years old her family immigrated to the United States.
Currently, Kha is a teacher helping children learn English. She recently received her doctorate degree from the University of Colorado Denver with a focus on equity in education. She is passionate about helping children learn about their roots, culture, and heritage language. Kha is on a journey to make books to teach about the Hmong people.
What inspires you?
The children really inspire me the most. I do not want children to forget who they are and where they come from or forget their mother tongue. If they forget their heritage language, they will lose the door to their culture.
What do you love most about your work or being a teacher?
Many people underestimate the ability of young children. They are quite creative, clever and full of imagination and personality. It’s never a boring day and we have lots of fun reading and writing stories. We laugh as we learn and have a good time learning about each other and our cultures. It doesn’t really feel like work.