Yen Ling(Via Skype) says
Why do I enjoy teaching and learning Chinese? The reason does not lie with me being a native speaker, but because I love Chinese. My passion is to share the beauty of the language to everyone.
I have been teaching Chinese in Singapore for more than two years. The very first student I had was studying at K2 at that time. He comes from Indonesia, and he is from an English speaking family. Despite having three Chinese lessons a week in kindergarten, he was still unable to speak Mandarin confidently during the first month of lessons with me. I always try to make the lessons fun. I read poems, sing with him, and play games to encourage him to speak up more. Before the end of each lesson, I will make it a point to read a Chinese storybook together with him. Now, not only does he converse in Mandarin with me, he also does the same with his family. In fact, Chinese became one of his best subjects when he progressed to Primary 1. To date, I have taught more than three primary school students.
Besides school students, I also have two adult students. One of them is a local Singaporean lady, while the other is a French gentleman. The local lady used to learn Chinese back in Secondary school, but she never had the chance to practise the language as no one speaks Mandarin in her family. However, she feels that as a Chinese, there is a need for her to know the language, and furthermore she needed it to converse with her grandmother-in-law. I started the first lesson with her about six months ago. Initially, she could only speak a little Mandarin coupled with a few English words, and she could hardly recognize any Chinese characters. Now, she is much more confident with her language abilities and was even able to comprehend newspaper articles and write a full Chinese essay. During the 6 month period when I was teaching the French gentleman, I could tell that he enjoyed the lessons very much, especially when he attempted to converse in Mandarin with me using basic phrases that were taught!
I was not satisfied with my Chinese language capabilities, and felt that that there was more to be done to improve and upgrade myself further. This is especially so if I intend to provide top-notch Chinese education to my students. Hence, I decided to sign up for the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) Teachers Training Course from HSK Centre, and successfully completed it in November 2008. I also attained a Diploma in Teaching Chinese Language from Confucius Institute, Nanyang Technological University in February 2009. As a Chinese teacher, I thought that must appraise own Chinese proficiency, therefore I have registered for Chinese proficiency test(HSK), and obtains the grade A at the advanced level.
I look forward to sharing the beauty of this language to more students in future, and I hope you would give this language a chance tool.
StarTutor's Review
Yen Ling is a Chinese language specialist and a qualified HSK teacher. She has taught a variety of foreign students in the past few years. With her outstanding ability to teach the language, she was able to help her students score well, be it local, or HSK examinations.
To Yen Ling, responsibility and commitment are the most important traits that a tutor should have. She believes that teaching is a difficult job, and should never be taken lightly as the student’s future is at stake. As such, she is always committed and responsible for the assignments that she takes up, and always aims to commit for long term whenever it is possible.
Yen Ling is also a firm and focused lady. She takes pride in her profession, and feels that there should always be mutual respect between the tutor and the student.
Yen Ling adopts different teaching methods to suit different students. Generally, for younger students, she tends to follow the school syllabus while for adult students, she focuses on other aspects that are required be it conversational Chinese, writing, or reading. For students who show no interest in the subject, Yen Ling tries to make the lessons more interesting by introducing games and other interactive activities.
Apart from teaching, Yen Ling enjoys playing badminton, watching movies, as well as spending time with her precious family during her free time. She feels that it is important to strike a balance between work and relaxation. Only then, will she able to continue to deliver her best for all her lessons.
Her focused and result-oriented approach is the key in helping students improve their grades. Her qualifications and vast experience with many foreign students are proof of her competence in the language.
- Interviewed by StarTutor (Cady, Weichao, Gavin), 18 April 2009
Testimonial
I decided to take Chinese tuition as I wanted to improve both my spoken and written Mandarin. I have a basic foundation in Mandarin as it was my second language in school. However, after years of not using it, I felt that I needed to brush up on my Mandarin.
During our first lesson, Yenling accessed my Chinese language proficiency in order to determine the materials she could use for the following lessons. Apart from using the standard textbook, Yenling would prepare articles from newspapers and websites which are suitable for me, thus building up my confidence in reading from external sources. In addition, she varies each session to make it interesting. Yenling is also approachable and encouraging.
It has been six months and now, I can converse fluently in Mandarin and have started reading the Chinese newspaper.
- Wen Xue Ru, Sheila
I am a French expat who has always wanted to learn Mandarin. After disappointing experiences in two well-known language schools, I decide to try private tutoring. I chose Hsu Laoshi because I was impressed with her qualifications. It was a good decision because her tutoring has improved my Chinese dramatically. Now, I can speak and read basic Chinese. She has been very patient and understanding. After six months, I am still enthusiastic and look forward to our lessons.
- Enrique Farrarons
2008 Others (
HSK Centre)
Teacher's Training Course (Teaching Enhancement)
2005 Others (
China Language Institute, Taiwan)
Certificate for completion of Training Course in the teaching of Chinese as a Foreign Language
Other Qualifications
- Ping Zhen Junior High School, Taiwan, 1991
- De Long Primary School, Taiwan, 1988
Commitment Level
I can start asap. I am currently living in Taiwan. I will have lesson via SKYPE. I have a Singapore lady who using this way, and it works pretty well. If necessary, i'll send you the content before the lesson. Thank you!
