Bullied as a kid, teacher vows to protect students from the cruelty he experienced
Winnipeg high school teacher Liang Sun 'is truthful. He is kind. He's incredible,' says former student
When Liang Sun was in elementary school in Winnipeg, he was a major target for a group of bullies.
In winter, he got pushed into snowbanks and endured icy face washes in the snow, along with regular beatdowns.
And it got worse.
"I was walking back home from school and somebody in a car just rolled down the window and shouted a slur at me," said the now 28-year-old, who immigrated from China as a youngster. "It did make me, in that moment, feel that I didn't belong."
Those horrible childhood experiences, however, have made him the teacher he is today, Sun said.
Every word, every discussion, every chat with his students today is informed by how he was treated as a child, said Sun, who teaches interactive digital media at Kildonan-East Collegiate in Winnipeg.
"I've made it my mission to never put a negative feeling or thought in a student's head," said Sun, who has been teaching for six years.
"Everything a teacher says is permanent, lasting and anything that you say negatively could really impact the student for the worse, maybe even change the direction of a student's life with a couple of words."
His approach is a big hit with his students.
"There's the difference between Mr. Sun and other teachers that … you can connect with him," said former student Jorn Skubovius, who credits Sun with inspiring her to become an art teacher. "He is truthful. He is kind. He's incredible."
Sun's journey from bullied kid to inspiring teacher is the focus of a new three-minute documentary by students in the post-high school Create program at Sisler High School.
Create students Ewan Webster, 18, Joseph Huntington, 19, and Raiden Dumaran, 18, produced the new short video.
Meet the filmmakers
Ewan Webster started his career in film as a background actor in local productions at age 11. He started to learn how to edit film and audio in Grade 11 after years of behind-the-scenes experience on set. Ewan wants to become a prominent film and audio editor.
Raiden Dumaran has been taking creative courses since Grade 9. He has a passion for motion graphics. Raiden also enjoys editing and working behind the camera. In his free time, he's usually at the gym or sleeping with his favourite songs on repeat.
Joseph Huntington is an aspiring filmmaker. His interest in film began in Grade 11, when he made a film with his friend. He believes filmmaking can be used to inspire others and change lives. Editing is his favourite part of filmmaking. In his spare time, he also enjoys walks, going to the gym and playing video games.
More about Project POV: Sisler Create
CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short docs. You can see past projects here.
The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts.
During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led producing workshops at Sisler.
Create focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.