Learning with Dr. Lee: Profile of an LATTC Professor By Angelica Morales About fifty students enroll in Dr. Kuen Hung Lee’s math classes every semester. Why so many in a math class? Dr. Lee is one of the most dedicated and widely known professors at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College (LATTC). Dr. Lee shows concern, dedication, and patience for his students.

But who is Dr. Lee? Dr. Kuen Hung Lee began working at LATTC in 1976. As a professor, Dr. Lee has over the years earned many awards for his outstanding work as a teacher. One of his most prestigious awards was the 1995 Outstanding Teaching Award presented to him by the Mathematics Association of America for University and College Math Professors. Lee also received commendations and letters of recognition from former President Bill Clinton, Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees, and the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College Associated Student Organization to name a few.

Every semester at least 50 students enroll in each of his classes, making the waiting list torturous for any poor soul on it. This jockeying for space by students for Dr. Lee’s classes is a clear validation of his teaching skills. I asked Dr. Lee why so many students choose him for their math courses. “They can follow my explanations,” he said. Lee’s teaching style grips students’ imaginations and helps them understand the order of mathematical operations. Lee’s method for teaching math is done through explaining the detailed operations step by step, usually flavored with an amusing mathematical story. “The stories are related to mathematics, and are intended to motivate students. I try to make the class interesting and enjoyable so the students will not have math anxiety.” Lee is patient with his students and always encourages them to ask questions after class if they didn’t understand the lessons.

Dr. Lee is not just a skilled educator, but a family man as well. He is a loving husband and dedicated father of four, three daughters and one son. It seems that being an educator runs in the Lee family: his wife and at least one daughter also teach. All of Lee’s children have or will graduate from college, with his oldest daughter following in the footsteps of her father by pursuing an advanced degree in mathematics.

Anyone attending one of Dr. Lee’s math classes has heard him proclaim, “I know everything.” I asked Dr. Lee to explain how he knows everything. “I am just joking. I say that to make the class interesting.” Dr. Lee originally began using this expression after a student told him he knew everything. Lee thought it was quite an interesting and amusing expression and began to use it regularly. “But I really do know everything,” asserts Lee.

Dr. Lee is a dedicated educator who works to improve himself and feels it is a privilege to work with the LATTC staff, which he calls knowledgeable and competent. When asked about his thoughts on teaching at Trade-Tech, Dr. Lee replies with an easy smile, “I enjoy teaching the students at Trade-Tech, because the students are very nice people.” Dr. Lee not only teaches math but also attends mathematic seminars to keep up to date with the latest innovations in mathematics.

“Math is beautiful,” Dr. Lee said when I said math is complicated.