For those in AP Literature with teacher Esther Wu, you’re likely looking forward to the end of the year when you’ll receive an individually-made valediction from Wu, where she details specific strengths she’s noticed about you throughout the year. To many students, this is just one of the many ways Wu stands out for the dedication and care that goes into her teaching. 

From winning the Santa Clara County Teacher of the Year Award to working with English teachers to improve education across America, Esther Wu has always strived to make an impact in and outside of her community: a feat she has accomplished over and over again.  

Last October, Wu was recognized as one of 30 Santa Clara County educators nominated by their districts to receive the 2024 Teacher of the Year Award. The Teacher Recognition Celebration has honored the county’s most respected and impactful teachers for half a century, and districts from all over Santa Clara County take the opportunity to nominate the teachers that they felt best represent their schools.

“My heart is just overflowing with gratitude for this recognition,” Wu said. “[It] was amazing just hearing the stories of teachers from all levels of grade levels and all disciplines and all kinds of schools.” 

Teaching covers only a portion of her impact on the MVLA district. Wu is a member of the California Teachers Association, previously worked with the Instructional Leaders Corps to implement Common Core standards in schools across California and is currently collaborating with College Board’s national AP Literature teacher network. The AP Literature teacher network helps educators across the U.S. give underprivileged students the ability to gain a higher level of English education. 

The teachers she’s worked with through these organizations, Wu said, have offered her a broadened perspective on the various challenges different schools face. Wu says these challenges have inspired her to prioritize giving back to her community. 

“I have a small role to play, and it’s very satisfying to know that this small role that I have to play can hopefully strengthen other teachers and reach students,” Wu said. “I’ve been on the receiving end from so many people, and this is kind of my way of paying it forward in this profession.” 

Wu’s passion for making a difference persists inside the classroom, according to Eine Youn, a senior at Mountain View High who’s known Wu since her freshman year. 

“In her class, there’s always something new to learn, a new layer to uncover — and she’ll always enthusiastically lead us through it,” Youn said in an email. 

Wu endeavors to build connections within her class so students have a stronger sense of identity with their greater community. From socratic seminars that prompt her students to think critically about the world to assisting students outside of class with their own writing, Wu makes an effort to help her students grow, said Youn.

Colleague and fellow English teacher Steven Kahl said that Wu’s empathy for her students adds an important layer to her teaching.

“I think she has a sense of what it is to be an outsider, and she knows how important it is to be included in the community,” Kahl said. 

Kahl was Wu’s supervisor during her teacher education program at Stanford and guided her to receive her teaching credential. Kahl said he was impressed with Wu’s dedication to her students and describes her as “warm, smart, authentic, caring and principled” — traits he said he noticed from day one. 

“She’s made her practice of teaching into an art form. She’s always thinking about how she could be an even stronger teacher,” Kahl said. 

To Wu, the study of literature provides students with a new understanding of the world around them. She stressed the importance of literature being able to expand student’s horizons and introduce them to all different walks of life. 

The child of two Taiwanese immigrant parents, Wu grew up in rural Eastern Tennessee, a place that was very culturally homogenous at the time. Being one of the only families of color in an undiversified area was, she said, one of the reasons she wanted to move to California. She eventually followed this wish and came to Stanford for college. 

Wu has been teaching AP Literature at Mountain View High for nearly 20 years, but her path to her profession was not linear. 

“I sort of became an English teacher accidentally,” Wu said.

Wu majored in English in college at Stanford and initially hoped to become a researcher and professor in sociology. However, she said working with high school students throughout college and in her master’s program prompted her to pursue teaching.

After completing her masters, Wu traded her plan for a PhD into a career switch to teaching. She began training to be an English teacher, and rediscovered her love for the subject that started in high school. 

“It’s kind of funny how sometimes in retrospect, you see all the stars aligning, but in the moment, you don’t see it,” Wu said.

Finally, for the aspiring English teachers that may be reading this, Wu has some insight into the mindset that has propelled her through her storied career. 

“You have to know why you are doing it and even when you’re in it, there will be so many days when you question whether or not you should stay,” Wu said. “That’s why my message is, hang in there, because it is so worth it.”