Shasha Zhang has been graciously volunteering her time for several years to teach Chinese on a weekly basis to a mix of about six to eight dedicated students, most of us having started with little to no Chinese. To our amazement and delight, Shasha’s patient and friendly teaching has guided us through a maze of X and Z sounds into a level of speech that native Chinese can recognize! Typically our 2 hour Zoom class begins with Shasha asking us to take turns reading and listening to sentences from online conversations dealing with everyday activities such as running to relieve stress or other ordinary practices English speakers can identify with.
After this, Shasha leads us through a practice character-writing session, and finally the class ends with each of us reciting sentences we’ve composed and translated ourselves into both characters and pinyin (using a translator). This is when we divulge little tidbits of our personal lives, which serve to reinforce the language on our brains and also to further bond us closer together as 同学们 (Tóngxuémen) in a mutual effort to learn. Our 老师 (Lǎoshī) fosters a sense of confidence in us to encourage us to improve our progress to learn Chinese!
All of us in the class come with various reasons for wanting to learn Chinese.
Denise—My own interest in the language began years ago when my son married Yang Liu and now the entire household of Sam, Yang, my grandchildren Sammi and Waylon, and Yang’s parents Meimei and Didi are fluent Chinese speakers.
What follows are comments from the others about why they choose to learn Chinese from Shasha.
Pichai—I am originally from Thailand. Since retired, I decided to learn another language to slow down a possible dementia or even alzheimer’s. Since Shasha offered to teach Mandarin Chinese, I have taken the opportunity to learn. It is so cool to be able to communicate in Chinese. Shasha is an excellent teacher, and thanks to her patience, I have learned a lot—(even though I have forgotten a lot as well!).
Stefanie—Shasha was my neighbor in Houghton when she first mentioned that she was offering a Zoom class for beginning Chinese, so I decided to sign up. Although I live in Grand Rapids most of the time, the virtual format makes it easy to attend. I had never studied Chinese—or any Asian language—before joining her class, but Shasha is incredibly encouraging and patient. She even endures my terrible accent and frequent mispronunciations with grace!
One of the things I enjoy most about her lessons is the group of students she has brought together. Shasha has created a wonderfully diverse and engaging class: people of all ages and backgrounds—American, Thai, Chinese, German—each with unique perspectives and stories to share. She truly makes this a rich and enjoyable learning experience, and not just from a language standpoint
Thank you, Shasha, for everything you do for us!
老师，谢谢您所做的一切！
Keira—My journey with Mandarin Chinese started with an online HSK1 class through an independent language school in Shanghai, China. I ended up loving the language and wanted to learn more so I joined Shasha’s class. To this day, I don’t remember how I found out about it, but I am so thankful that I did. She embraces the idea that learning should be fun and relevant to our everyday lives. It’s because of her classes that I’ve made several Chinese friends using phrases I learned in class and I also was able to interact with the locals when I visited Taiwan. Shasha makes the lessons interactive and is always willing to answer our questions. It’s a joy to be able to learn from her.
谢谢老师！
Crystal—I wanted to study Chinese because during the pandemic I was struck by an inspired (and unexpected) desire to learn. My mother saw the course posted on Shasha’s facebook, so I reached out, and it’s been so lovely to not just learn more of the language from a native speaker, but to also learn about the culture! Shasha is so patient and encouraging, that her correction has no shaming with it. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the other students too, and look forward to Chinese class each week.
Helena—I have been taking Chinese classes since my mom first started teaching them, and I have improved a lot over time.
Before joining the class, I could only say a few simple words and understand very basic sentences. I often found conversations hard to follow because I did not know enough vocabulary or grammar.
As I kept learning, I became more comfortable with Chinese. I practiced speaking and writing, which helped me improve my pronunciation and understanding. Gradually, conversations became easier, and I could understand more complex sentences and topics.
Now, I can have full conversations in Chinese and express my thoughts more clearly than before. Learning Chinese has also helped me understand and appreciate the culture and traditions behind the language.
Looking back, I can see how much I have improved. I am proud of my progress. I still have more to learn, but I am excited to keep practicing and become more fluent in the future.
Isabella—My mom is our Chinese teacher, and she really cares about every student in her class. She works hard to make sure everyone feels included, respected, and welcome. One thing that makes her class special is how she brings students together. She even throws parties for graduating students to celebrate their hard work and success.
I have been in her class for six years. During this time, she has taught me a lot about Chinese language and culture. We don’t just learn vocabulary and grammar, but also traditions, customs, and important cultural values. Because of her, I understand and appreciate Chinese culture much more.
What I admire most about my mom is her kindness and hard work. She always encourages us to try our best and makes sure no one feels left out. Her classroom feels like a community where everyone belongs. She has been teaching this class for many years, and her passion inspires all of us.
Elaine Bacon Literacy Program 