Instructor Profile - Janice Ching
Janice Ching
Meet Janice Ching - by Barbara McLean. March 2017.
JANICE CHING
Wonderful William Shakespeare would surely be filled with delight if he could see the joy on the faces of students in Janice Ching’s MERCHANT OF VENICE class! A teacher at OLLI for twelve years, Janice has a devotion to her craft that makes her subject, the writings of Shakespeare, as alive and relevant now as in his own day. Students lucky enough to find a seat in one of her classes will be challenged by this exceptional instructor to find meaning sometimes hidden in the words on the page. This tiny, lovely, friendly, kind teacher spends at least twelve hours each week preparing for every single class she teaches. This preparation is part of her passion for her craft as she asks herself, “What is Shakespeare trying to show us?” as she reads and rereads each passage. Her involvement in the plays of the Bard is evident as she carefully leads students to understand the big picture of the story as well as the nuance. Her ability to tease out the detail, to engage students in the reading, and to make thespians of all is astonishing!
“Adults have life experience to bring to the understanding of the Plays,” she says “and their responsiveness to the content is very insightful”.
Why is it only Shakespeare that Janice teaches?
“Because I love it”! was her immediate and enthusiastic reply. “I can read and reread the plays and always find something new”. Hamlet is her favorite play, Othello is next. “It is exciting to hear what the class has to say about the plays. I can always count on observations that suggest a new way of thinking about the material”.
Janice and her husband Jason now live in Hillsborough where she loves to walk the many and beautiful trails. Parents of three children, Janice smiles as she reports, “we seem to be a very athletic family”. Janice loves her regular exercise classes at the DUKE CENTER FOR LIVING, and enjoys following the sporting activities of their grandchildren who are involved in golf, soccer and gymnastics. Jason sometimes helps with the “teckie” part of his wife’s classes. Although he is retired from EPA Jason remains fully engaged as an atmospheric scientist monitoring air pollution all over the world.
The OLLI Book Club is a part of Janice’s activities as well as going to the theatre “any chance I get” to see wonderful productions right here in the environs of Durham. She loves to read, listing Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge; Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies; Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies; and Helen Kearns Goodwin’s Team
of Rivals as some of her current favorites.
Bourne, Mass was the location of Janice’s first teaching job as a newly married, when her husband was working at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Jan and Jason had met at Penn State where both were doing graduate work. Born in Milford, Connecticut her undergraduate education was at the University of Connecticut. Janice finished her master’s degree at UNC. During her high school and college years Janice was “stage struck” and loved attending the Shakespeare festival in nearby Stratford where once she watched Katherine Hepburn walk out of the stage door and ride away on her bicycle! It was while studying at the Globe theatre in London that she ventured on stage as an actress but she claims acting is not her strong suit. She also studied at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford where again her skills as a reader and observer of the Plays was honed.
When she first came to OLLI to teach, after twenty three years as a Shakespeare instructor at the Durham Academy, Janice indicated that some of her teaching methods probably seemed unusual. “I think some people expected a lecture” she reports, but “playing on your feet” is one of the methods she uses to engage and make words come to life. Small group discussions are frequent and role playing happens often. “What can we take away from these words to apply to our own lives?” Janice knows how to make learning not only interesting but fun! Feeding both mind and body, she often brings delicious homemade treats to class “I love to bake”, she reports with a grin.
When asked if she could suggest a book about Shakespeare Janice indicated that the Marjorie Garber book called SHAKESPEARE AFTER ALL is a fine scholarly interpretation of all of the plays. There are many excellent books devoted to just one play as there are many interpretations about each masterpiece.
Janice is a devoted champion of teaching as she continues to search for new and rich meaning in her work. Her study of Shakespeare is an integral part of who she is. Her scholarly approach to her topic as well as her warmth and wisdom in meeting the characters in each play is also who she is. Janice’s insights are the result of years and hours of study and research. How lucky OLLI is to have Janice Ching as a delightfully marvelous Shakespeare scholar and interpreter!
JANICE CHING
Wonderful William Shakespeare would surely be filled with delight if he could see the joy on the faces of students in Janice Ching’s MERCHANT OF VENICE class! A teacher at OLLI for twelve years, Janice has a devotion to her craft that makes her subject, the writings of Shakespeare, as alive and relevant now as in his own day. Students lucky enough to find a seat in one of her classes will be challenged by this exceptional instructor to find meaning sometimes hidden in the words on the page. This tiny, lovely, friendly, kind teacher spends at least twelve hours each week preparing for every single class she teaches. This preparation is part of her passion for her craft as she asks herself, “What is Shakespeare trying to show us?” as she reads and rereads each passage. Her involvement in the plays of the Bard is evident as she carefully leads students to understand the big picture of the story as well as the nuance. Her ability to tease out the detail, to engage students in the reading, and to make thespians of all is astonishing!
“Adults have life experience to bring to the understanding of the Plays,” she says “and their responsiveness to the content is very insightful”.
Why is it only Shakespeare that Janice teaches?
“Because I love it”! was her immediate and enthusiastic reply. “I can read and reread the plays and always find something new”. Hamlet is her favorite play, Othello is next. “It is exciting to hear what the class has to say about the plays. I can always count on observations that suggest a new way of thinking about the material”.
Janice and her husband Jason now live in Hillsborough where she loves to walk the many and beautiful trails. Parents of three children, Janice smiles as she reports, “we seem to be a very athletic family”. Janice loves her regular exercise classes at the DUKE CENTER FOR LIVING, and enjoys following the sporting activities of their grandchildren who are involved in golf, soccer and gymnastics. Jason sometimes helps with the “teckie” part of his wife’s classes. Although he is retired from EPA Jason remains fully engaged as an atmospheric scientist monitoring air pollution all over the world.
The OLLI Book Club is a part of Janice’s activities as well as going to the theatre “any chance I get” to see wonderful productions right here in the environs of Durham. She loves to read, listing Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge; Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies; Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies; and Helen Kearns Goodwin’s Team
of Rivals as some of her current favorites.
Bourne, Mass was the location of Janice’s first teaching job as a newly married, when her husband was working at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Jan and Jason had met at Penn State where both were doing graduate work. Born in Milford, Connecticut her undergraduate education was at the University of Connecticut. Janice finished her master’s degree at UNC. During her high school and college years Janice was “stage struck” and loved attending the Shakespeare festival in nearby Stratford where once she watched Katherine Hepburn walk out of the stage door and ride away on her bicycle! It was while studying at the Globe theatre in London that she ventured on stage as an actress but she claims acting is not her strong suit. She also studied at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford where again her skills as a reader and observer of the Plays was honed.
When she first came to OLLI to teach, after twenty three years as a Shakespeare instructor at the Durham Academy, Janice indicated that some of her teaching methods probably seemed unusual. “I think some people expected a lecture” she reports, but “playing on your feet” is one of the methods she uses to engage and make words come to life. Small group discussions are frequent and role playing happens often. “What can we take away from these words to apply to our own lives?” Janice knows how to make learning not only interesting but fun! Feeding both mind and body, she often brings delicious homemade treats to class “I love to bake”, she reports with a grin.
When asked if she could suggest a book about Shakespeare Janice indicated that the Marjorie Garber book called SHAKESPEARE AFTER ALL is a fine scholarly interpretation of all of the plays. There are many excellent books devoted to just one play as there are many interpretations about each masterpiece.
Janice is a devoted champion of teaching as she continues to search for new and rich meaning in her work. Her study of Shakespeare is an integral part of who she is. Her scholarly approach to her topic as well as her warmth and wisdom in meeting the characters in each play is also who she is. Janice’s insights are the result of years and hours of study and research. How lucky OLLI is to have Janice Ching as a delightfully marvelous Shakespeare scholar and interpreter!
Editor's Note : If you would like to show appreciation to the profiled instructor, you can email to instructor-profile@olliatduke.org