When I interviewed Dr. Van Lare, ACC’s Teacher of the Year for 2025, she greeted me and asked, “How are you doing?” The question was almost drowned out by the ringing of the phone. The call was abrupt, loudly requesting Dr. Van Lares attention. Despite the sudden noise, no one is startled, already used to this happening. She offers me an apologetic smile, before having to step out to help at yet another place. Her office is small yet comfortable, the “thank you” cards hanging behind the wall giving it a personal touch. Students wander down the hallway, always stopping to wave and say hi to Dr. Van Lare. Always, she stops what she’s doing and smiles and greets them back. We all know Dr. Van Lare as the head of the Arlington Tech program, but there’s so much more to her than that. She’s someone who cares about the students beyond her job. Someone who knows everyone’s names, what happened recently, what makes each and every one of them stand out from the general student body. But what kind of person is she exactly?
Dr. Van Lare’s interest in education started when she was young. Both of her parents were teachers and deeply involved with their community. She remembers how old students would come back and reconnect and they would write books and dedicate them to her parents. Upon seeing that, Dr. Van Lare knew she too wanted to follow in their footsteps. Her love for English only further fueled her path to becoming a teacher.
Dr. Van Lare started her teaching journey in New York as an English teacher in 1994. She taught as an English teacher around different schools until 2003. Moving to Virginia, she became an English Instructor at a college and Campus Coordinator at another, a step further from teaching at highschools. In 2005, Dr. Van Lare went to the University of Washington, where she was an Adjunct Professor and Research Assistant for a little over four years. She then received the chance to go to Stanford University for three months as a lecturer. There Dr. Van Lare designed and lectured the course Instructional Leadership. Shen then moved over here to Virginia, where she taught for four years as an Assistant Professor at George Mason University. In 2016, Dr. Van Lare moved to Arlington and started teaching at APS as an English teacher. She taught English in the very classroom that our ACC Chronicle is now made in! There she was given the opportunity to become program coordinator here at Arlington Tech.
With having worked so many jobs and so many experiences it’s hard to pick a favorite. Dr. Van Lare says that her favorite would have to be between her time teaching at Singapore American School and her time here at Arlington Tech. She says that she loved living in Singapore and teaching international students, and the school was top-notch and a fun environment. Here at Tech, where it’s an exciting, changing and ever evolving place.
Dr. Van Lare was drawn to Tech when she heard about project-based-learning. Becoming interested and wanting to further explore that, she applied to teach at Arlington Tech. Once a part of the community she learned that there was so much more to it. Dr. Van Lare was excited to be able to become a part of this involving, new program.
The former program coordinator, Catherine Steinmetz, took notice of Dr. Van Lare’s vast experience and passion for teaching and helping. She reached out and talked to her about the position. When the position opened Dr. Van Lare applied and was accepted. We are currently constructing a new buidling that will be able to hold more students and offer more opportunities than when Dr. Van Lare first started as program coordinator. She hopes that this new building will be able to keep some program highlights while also offering to students a new program that is more focused on students needs for the future and pushes traditional education.
Without hesitation, Dr. Van Lare says that her favorite part about working at Tech is the students. She says over the years she has gotten to know many unique, passionate, insightful students. She says compared to other highschools, Tech allows you to get to know the students closely and build a connection with them. Dr. Van Lare is working to create a learning experience for students that can be used in the real world.
