I am Scott Riggsbee. I come from a humble beginning in a small town in the US. When I say small, the population was only about 15,000. This was a predominantly agrarian or rural area. Hunting various animals was and still is very common. It was very common to see tractors or other large agricultural equipment on the roads and one day of the year students would drive them to the high school.

Many of my hobbies started when I was in this small town. My love of movies began at this time as it was always a special treat to have a movie on Fridays. Reading books from the local library was always a treat, learning about the outside world was not so easy before the internet. Biking around town was common for children my age, especially in the summers. These formative experiences instilled a love for all of these things. I still enjoy getting on a bike and cycling. I love watching films with family and reading, though it is much easier to get books these days.

I was educated in the U.S. and hold a degree in Philosophy. I have taught and lived in China for over 10 years. My teaching career has taken me to many wonderful and interesting locations in China. I have seen the immense improvements made over these last years. I remember the first Gao Tie trains. The many changes to Changzhou and the country at large are truly impressive. I have spent most of my time in the dragon city, Changzhou. I originally taught Western Culture, English, and writing in colleges and later I taught World History and American History at the high school level. Now I am lucky enough to be teaching Critical Thinking and Western Culture here at the AP placement Program. I have had the rewarding task of supporting students with the Canal history project, which focuses on the history of the Grand Canal and the surrounding area. My love of the humanities drives my desire to support students’ creativity and critical analysis of the world and the global community in the modern era to foster cultural understanding and connection.