"In my early childhood, I inherited from my grandparents a photo-album of Beijing in the late nineteenth century. This album was my first exposure to Chinese culture. Those large sepia photos on thick glossy paper with their bewitching images of people and scenes beyond the realm of my daily experience and imagination, sparked an eager curiosity that years later led me to spend two and a half years more...
"In my early childhood, I inherited from my grandparents a photo-album of Beijing in the late nineteenth century. This album was my first exposure to Chinese culture. Those large sepia photos on thick glossy paper with their bewitching images of people and scenes beyond the realm of my daily experience and imagination, sparked an eager curiosity that years later led me to spend two and a half years exploring Chinese language and culture as an exchange student at Beijing University, and to return there a few years later as a teacher. Later still, I pursued my graduate studies of Chinese literature at Yale University. Over the years, teaching Chinese language and culture has become a true passion.
I believe that studying Chinese is valuable for everyone, and not only for pragmatic reasons. As educated people in a shrinking world, we need knowledge and understanding of China’s long history and its magnificent culture to teach tolerance and build relationships. Moreover, the singular grammar, tones, writing system, and inner logic of Chinese access areas of the brain devoted to non-verbal expression such as that of music, mathematics, and art. Studying Chinese is a unique and highly intellectual pursuit that empowers students to think in new ways.
Confucius said, “A craftsman who wishes to do good work must first sharpen his tools.” Mastery of grammar is the essential tool for understanding Chinese and is, therefore, the core value of my teaching. My foremost concern, at every level of study, is with correct, exacting, and accurate expression. Every text is taught through the perspective of grammar, and every grammatical rule or pattern is expressed in an equation form that is easy to memorize and to apply. I consider errors evidence of engagement with the material, and use them as accessories to enhance the learning process. Discussing errors helps students build critical analysis and effective reasoning skills. Ultimately, my goal is to cultivate students’ rigorous thinking and autonomy in studying, so that they" less...
