Mandarin

Honestly, I had never dreamed that one day I would be speaking English. Back in my home country, Taiwan, English class was mandatory since 7th grade. Let's just say it was definitely not my favorite subject. They would teach grammars, verb tenses, determiners, vocabularies, and many other things that I simply couldn't understand or didn't care about. By the time I graduated from college, I was not even able to conduct basic conversations in English. I vividly remember when I first came to the states in 2000 , I could only point at the picture on the menu to order lunch at the McDonald's.

Things have gone (a little) better, luckily, over the years with my English. I've had the privilege to work with young children (grades K-6) and teach Mandarin as a 2nd language. What I have found is that the process of teaching has also helped me refine my own language learning. Moreover, I take great satisfaction in introducing the language that is the most widely-spoken language in the world by billions of people, as well as the cultural aspect. I believe that studying foreign language creates more positive attitudes and less prejudice toward people who are different, which enables kids to gain a more profound understanding of their own culture. It also opens their views of the world, liberates their experiences, and leads to an appreciation of cultural diversity.

Is learning Mandarin difficult and boring? Simply ask the kids in my classes and you may get surprising answers. When you take learning away from blackboards and copybooks, into dances,  games, activities, competitions, and interesting assignments, kids are more likely to participate simply because it’s more fun. 

As Mandela once said "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head; if you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart." Try to compliment the food in Mandarin at your favorite Chinese restaurant and see what happens!