Letter from CHS Mandarin Teacher, Ms. Wang

I feel so lucky to have been chosen by the program TCLP (The Teachers of Critical Languages Program, a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State). The selection was really competitive, 18 out of over 500 candidates and I feel so lucky to have been assigned to Chariho Regional High School in Rhode Island. People here are so friendly and the scenery here is amazing. I also enjoy the weather here and up to now, it is still not as cold as what I was told before coming here.

I feel so grateful that everything about my life and work here goes on very smoothly. In my everyday life, I live with a retired couple who are so nice to me and have supported me hugely and helped me greatly to immerse in community life here. I have been to many famous beaches here and have been hiking with them to many wonderful places around. I spent Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve with them to experience the traditional American festivals. I even had the chance to enjoy the bonfire in Ninigret Park on New Year’s Eve and the Polar Bear Plunge in Charlestown Beach on the New Year’s Day. I have my RI driving license and I drive to work every day. I am kind of experiencing typical American life here and that’s one of the purposes why I am here.

In my work, I teach two classes in middle school and one class in high school. I feel so lucky too because the 45 kids in my classes are all respectful and well-behaved and they have a great passion for learning Chinese and they are really quick-learners! Through our joint efforts, we have had some small achievements. My student Aidan has been awarded as the TCLP Month Student and I am so honored to have been nominated by my students as the “Teacher of the Month” in Chariho High School too. The newspaper “The Westerly Sun” interviewed me and they showed great interest in the Chinese program here too. Our class video has been chosen as the highlight videos for TCLP. We have had a close connection with URI. My students, their parents, and I have been invited to their Mid-autumn Festival and they are inviting us for the Chinese New year Festival too. They invited us to have a free field trip to their campus and they have visited my class for the Chinese Flagship program and Chariho High School for their IEP program. I have also done lots of outreach activities in Hope Valley, Charlestown, Ashaway, and Richmond elementary schools and I had a Chinese New Year Celebration activity on February 2nd in Clark Memorial Library. I think all these activities have helped more kids and people to know more about China and the Chinese culture and that is exactly one of the main missions for me to be here.

I will stay here for another 4 months until the end of the school year. I hope everything will continue to go on smoothly here and I have had so many wonderful experiences here and I am sure this one year’s experience in Chariho will be one of the best and unforgettable memories in my whole life.