Teacher-Biographies


 * Fang Liang**-I grew up in Sichuan and used to study in Guangdong as a Chinese major and in Beijing as a Journalism major. Now I’m a graduate student and teaching assistant at CU Boulder. I love teaching Chinese as a foreign language. Although I just finished my first year as a TA at CU Boulder, I’m pretty sure I want to become a language teacher in the future. Now I’m excited about Startalk’s program. I’m very happy to learn from so many experienced teachers. Wish all of us a wonderful time in the following weeks.


 * Yewei:** I used be a college teacher in Hunan, China, but I never thought that I could be a teacher in the U.S until I found GVA. After I followed my wife's step to America, I tried out various jobs, mainly requiring physical and not mental abilities because of my major and language problem. Working as a teacher in America is a new experience and challenge for me, so I hope I will recieve support and help from my colleauges. Thank you everyone!


 * Jia Jia**: Hello everybody! This is Jia Jia. I am a current Chinese teacher in Denver metro area. I have B.A and M.A in Chinese language and literature education, and hold the highest level of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language teacher certificate issued by Hanban (Chinese Language Council International). I taught in college for three years and in middle/high school for one year. Besides the full-time jobs, I taught some adult students to learn Chinese in Shanghai. Three years ago, I moved to the U.S with my husband and started to teach Chinese language for pre-schoolers and elementary level students. I love teaching. Hope to spend good times with all of you in Startalk at GVA this June!

Jian Lin is the Deputy Executive Director / Mandarin Chinese Program Director of Denver Language School (“DLS”). She will spearhead the development of Chinese program instruction and curriculum at this new public charter school with two parallel language programs – Chinese and Spanish. Prior to joining DLS, she was the Director of Chinese Immersion Program at Denver Montclair International School (“DMIS”). Jian Lin holds a Chinese Teacher license and was recognized by Denver Public School District with their “Excellent Contributor in Education” Award in 2004. She is the co-author of “Easy Book for Chinese Language Beginners (Volume I – X)” and “Lanbridge Chinese for Young Learners (volume I-XII)” which was authorized Chinese learning and teaching books of Hanban (the Office of Chinese Language Council International) in US schools. Jian has been serving the Colorado Chinese Language Teacher Consortium as a Treasurer since 2007. A Chief Judge of the First Colorado Chinese Speech Contest sponsored by Confucius Institute of Community College of Denver. Prior to her appointment at DMIS, Jian Lin taught at Huanshi Elementary School for seven years in Guangzhou, China, where she was awarded “Distinguished Teacher of the Year”. She has a bachelor’s degree in Chinese literature & Education from the Guangzhou Normal University and M.A in Education from the South China Normal University in China, and M.A. in Elementary Ed. from the Madison University. Jian also is a licensed Director of Early Childhood Education of Colorado. She is currently pursuing another master’s degree in Instructional Technology at Regis University.

Ge ming: I have been staying USA for 11 years. Before that i was a elementary school teacher for 5 years .I also was a kindergarden school pinciple for 13 years.When i stayed in USA. I teached pre-k students in private school for 4 years. Later i worked in GVA for 4 years. i have 8 years of experience teaching Sunday Chinese heritage school,grade kindergarten in USA. Last year, i attended the startalk training. I learned a lot!

Hi! This is Qiongzi. I am a guest teacher in GVA. I am a university teacher in china, I teach chinese literature and standard mandarin for4 years. My master degree is teaching language as the second language. I really appreciate GVA for giving me the chance to learn more about chinese.

My name is Wanbing Zhang, I love chinese language and want to teach Chinese.I came to America in 2005 and wanted to carry out the dream. I was teaching Chinese in Great Wall Academy on Sundays for three years and I have taught Chinese in GVA since septerber 2009.

**Grace Hu:** B orn and grew up in Xinjiang, China; obtained a B.S. Degree and a M.E. Degree MBA Degree in China. My first teaching experience was teaching undergraduates a course in Shanghai for one year when I was a graduate student there. After graduation I worked for two years in Shanghai and then went to Singapore for MBA study. As a part-time lecturer at Singapore Chinese Chamber Institute of Business, I taught Hanyu Pinyin, Business Mandarin and two private lessons on Chinese Literature for one and a half year. After working for an American Pharmaceutical company in Singapore for almost three years, I came to U.S. in 2002 and moved to Colorado in 2006. I have been teaching Kindergarten Chinese for more than a year at Bohua Chinese School. I look forward to learning a lot from instructors and other Chinese teachers in this GVA summer program!

Hi dear all! This is Olivia Yu, came from Qingdao. I have been teaching in China for 12 years, and 3 years in the US, which been in Global Village Avademy all the time. It is very interesting to experience two different education systems, and there is a lot of fun to see the kids progress so amazingly in immersion education.

Dear all, I am yanni Sun, I was born in Beijing, China. I moved to Xian at the age of 8. I graduated with B.A. in Library Science from Wu Han Univercity. I worked in libraries for 29 years both in China and United States. I came to United States in February of 1997. My husband, son, and I currently live in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. I am currently tutoring students in Mandarin Chinese.

Hello All! I am Ritu Thakkar. I was born and brought up in India. I completed my Graduation in Chinese Language from Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2007 from India. I also did certificate program in export management from Indian Institute of foreign trade. I worked with Kroll pvt. ltd., India as a Background screening analyst for Chinese Language for 6 months and I also worked with Reliance Energy Pvt. Ltd. India as a Chinese Translator for 18 months. I taught in Chinese Language Institute in Delhi India for more than 3 years on weekends. Last year I got married and came to Colorado US along with my husband. I live in Longmont, CO. Presently, I teach in Great wall Chinese Academy

Hi all, this is Ying. I'm from Jilin, China. I've been to the U.S. for three and a half years by now and I have been enjoying it here in Colorado! I have always been in the field of foreign language education. I have a BA in English Education and taught in elementary and college in China. Since I moved here, I worked as a preschool teacher in Boulder while completing my MA in Educational Psychology with UCD. I began to work for Global Village Academy in Fall, 2008. I have been teaching Kindergarten Mandarin Immersion for two years with GVA and I will be teaching 3rd Grade in Fall, 2010. I was in Startalk program last summer and certainly had learned a lot from the training and practicum. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and learning together with all of you this summer. It will be great

Hi everyone! This is Zhe Zhang. I am from Heilongjiang, China. I spent seven years at Nankai University in Tianjin and received my B.A. and M.A. in Japanese Language and Literature there. After my graduation, I taught Japanese at Tianjin Polytechnic University. I enjoyed that job, but only worked there for half a year, because my husband had already started pursuing PHD at CU and it was hard for us to remain separated. I resigned from the job in March, 2007, and came to Boulder to live with him. During the days when I was a housewife, I tutored some Chinese learners, which gave me so much fun and reminded me of my happy experiences in tutoring Japanese people Chinese back to my college period. I realized that this is what I always want to do. Now I am studying and working as a TA in the Chinese Program at CU. I hope I can find a job teaching Chinese after my graduation in next May.

John Kaufman. Hello everyone. I am a new hire at GVA as a Vice Principal and am excited to be joining that team and the StarTalk activity over the next few weeks. I am from San Diego, California originally. While growing up there and in Los Angeles, I learned Spanish in school. I continued to take Spanish into college. My mother was a native Spanish speaker. My father was a native German speaker. However, neither spoke those languages in our home-only English. I studied Civil Engineering though graduate school. I have worked as an engineer, farmer, and teacher prior to becoming a school administrator. I have served students as a school administrator for seven years. I am looking forward to meeting you all next week and participating in this multicultural adventure.

Da jia hao! My name is Shelley. I was born and raised in Shanghai, China. Being a teacher was my first dream at the age of 5. Although I was unable to pursue my teaching dream (I graduated from CU Boulder Business School), I have had plenty of opportunities to teach. I taught Chinese language and culture (including Chinese dancing) in Boulder for 6 years and one of my former employers for 5 years. I am currently teaching at Highland Ranch and after-school Chinese language learning program in Westminster. My students’ ages were/are from 4 to 62 years old. I have to say that all my students are supper smart! They have made my teaching experience meaningful, fun and exciting. I really enjoy teaching them. I am looking forward to participating STARTALK program and meeting all of you. I hope I will get the most of it from this wonderful opportunity.

Hi all. This is Hsiu-Mei Lin. I am from Taiwan. I just moved to Colrado last year. My undergraduate major is Spanish, and I have a MA in Binlingual Edcation from UT San Antonio. Before I moved here, I taught English in a college in northern Taiwan for 13 years, Guess what, without an invironment for me to use Spanish, I can barely remember most of the Spanish I learned in university. (Howver it won't be dfficult for me to get it back)! I got to know the term of "immersion" when I was in the graduat school, but I never had a chance to really experience it, nor to apply it. With this StartTalk program, I expect to refresh and enrich my view of teachihg. I now work for an engineering company, but I miss the teaching with students, So I keep on teaching Chinese in Colorado Springs Chinese Language School., and I am working on getting back to teaching! Wish all of us have a wonderful journey for the following two weeks!

Hello! My name is Amy Hilbert. I grew up in St.Louis and later lived in Arkansas. I studied Chinese at Truman University and then at the Mandarin Training Center in Taiwan where I lived and worked for a few years. After moving back to the US, I earned a Master's in Special Education, taught 11 years at a junior high school in Rogers, AR, and just finished my second year at Mead Elementary. Before going to Mead Elementary, I continued my study of Chinese at CU-Boulder and worked for a small oil & gas company in Denver. I am looking forward to the STARTALK experience and meeting everyone.

Hello GVA Family! My name is Veronica Garrido. I'm from Santiago-Chile. I came to the USA in 2004 with just one suitcase and my person to work as a teacher. My first assignment was to teach Spanish to 8th graders in two schools in Virginia. Huiii! Yeah, it didn't work that well. Next, I was assigned to teach ESL in a little rural area close to Fayetteville in NC where I remained for three years. While working in NC I was called to come to Colorado to teach Spanish by GVA. It was quite a challenge but it was something that I was looking for some time, to be a room teacher so I accepted the challenge. I packed my few things in a truck, put my car at the back of the truck and started the journey on a rainy November day. I didn't think how it would be. I never thought wouh! this is too much for me. Noo. I just followed my heart. Needles to say, I haven't regretedt a bit. However, at moments when I was driving at night through Tennessee mountains or the long and solitary roads of Kansas I thought for a moment, I must be crazy, what I'm doing! Well, that is just part of history now. It has been three years so far of hard but very rewarding work at GVA with the good and bad, the sweet and souer as life is. Hoping the best for the future and success and growing for everybody at GVA STARTALK, best regards.

Hi! My name is Frances Maisonet. I'm from Puerto Rico. I taught for 4 years; 3 years back in my country and 1 year at GVA. Right now, I'm the Kindergarten Spanish teacher. It's so impressive how the kids can learn a foreign language so fast. I've been living 11 months in Colorado with my husband and we are loving it! I really like it here at GVA! Is awesome the cultural and language environment at the school.

Sherry - My name is Sherry Lam and I teach Pre-K class at Denver Montclair International School. I came from Taiwan since 1989 and I was a kindergarten teacher for 7 years in Taipei.After I came to USA ,I was looking for a teacher position in Cleveland Ohio but learning Chinese was not hot as now.Thus, I worked at a computer company for ten years in Colorado.Two years ago, our company cloased then I found a teacher position in Denver International School. I enjoy teaching because I love little kids.

Norman - Initially I got my license in California in 2003 and taught in Montana and Colorado. My teaching experiences have mostly been with K-12 schools. I was blessed with the opportunity working with little and big kids and I have to say that I enjoyed all of them, even though sometimes I felt like pulling my hair out. It was always a delight to create new lessons or activites for my students. I am so happy to be here to learn from experts as well as my classmates.

Hi, My name is Fang Yuan, I have been lived in Colorado for about 5 years. I live in Arvada. I have been a teacher for 23 years in China and the USA. I love kids, I love teaching too. I taught Chinese dance for many years. And I am an art teacher too. I did a lot of educational research in China. My experience of teaching is students from birth to the elemantary school.

Hello, my name is Chaoqiong Wang, I am from China. I have been a teacher for 28 years in China and the USA. . I just came from California two weeks ago. I will teach K at DLS. I love Denver so much. I enjoy the teaching so much.I did a lot of educational research in China. I am an art teacher too. Many of my students won a lot of awards in the international contests.

My name is Yunn Pann. I have been teaching Mandarin Chinese since 1982. I have taught at foreign language institutes at many different cities over the United States, and heritage school, public high schools and elementary/middle schools. Guest lecturer and demonstrations of Chinese calligraphy and Qi Gong exercises, and Chinese characters for the Denver Art Museum, colleges, various public libraries, corporations, zen centers and schools to adults as well as children. Taught Chinese characters at Naropa. Trained in Lozanov Learning Method, TPRS Storytelling, Immersion Approach, Neuro Linguistic Programming, and various discipline in movements, bodywork and classes in fine art. I love to do Chinese calligrphy with a gigantic brush. Also loves to do pottery pieces with Chinese calligraphy using the amazing Raku firing.

My name is Shaohua Chen. I've been teaching Chinese at 3 different elementary schools in Douglas County School District for 3 years, also I've teaching Chinese at Sunday heritage school for 6 years, although with business background, teaching used to be a quite bit transition, but I adapted it really well, and enjoy working with students of all ages at all levels, to help them to constantly making progress and open up a whole new world to them is my personal long term goal.​

Hello everyone! My name is Jie Ding. I came to the US from Beijing, China and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree from Beijing Normal University in Biology. I have been a teacher for 10 years in China. I have taught Mandarin in Colorado for over 12 years at several schools and also as a private tutor. I have taught kindergarten to 8th grades mandarin, math and science at Colorado International School, an immersion school. Throughout my years of teaching, I am always interested in learning and strengthening strategies for engaging students in a foreign language. I look forward in participating in the STARTALK program and I hope I will gain some great experiences during this opportunity.

Lydia Ling, from Taiwan. Majored in music for my BA degree. One year MM degree study in chorus conducting majored at the University of Delaware. Started teaching Mandarin immersion two years ago with Pre-K and K teaching positions. I am currently teaching at Colorado International School, and will contract with GVA in July for a K teaching position. Nice meeting you all !!

Hi, there! My name is Hai Wu from Xinjiang, China.I've been to the USA for 4 years. And another year in GVA is about to start. I am going to teach 5th and 6th grades next year. I was a teacher in China. English for elementary schools and computer for college. Later on I opened my own training school. That was a really hard work. I have learned a lot since I work in GVA. Here we have a very good team. People around me gave tremendous help on everything. I appreciate it. Hope all of you can earn what you want from this training.

 Zhiping(Amy) lü, a very difficult name ; but she's actually not diffcult at all. I'm from Xijiang(glad to see several hometownfellows here) ,graduated in Xi'an Engineering College and taught Chinese at a elementary school in Xinjiang for 2 years,and then moved to Shenzhen. Dated from teaching in Xinjiang, I was thinking it would be a great value for students if the teachers had experienced more and been a more open mind person. I started to take psychology and education coursees at Shenzhen University. In 2005, I came to the US and started to do some interpretation jobs and private tutoring while running my small on line business -www.pingasianimports.com. After I accumulated great teaching experiences from being a teacher at Great Wall Academy and tutoring different age group stucents, a private school--Kent Denver had offered me a great chance to teach juniors and seniors Chinese level one. From students' appreciation, I found the core value of being a teacher.


 * Greetings, **
 * My name is Sofia Vallarte Hernandez. I am an instructional aide here at GVA. I am also a student at Community College of Aurora. I was born in Mexico but I have been all my life here in the United States. I came to this country when I was very young. Spanish was my first language. **
 * Last year, I had the privilege to be part of StarTalk. I learned many useful teaching strategies and interesting things about the Chinese culture and language that I decided to be part of the training again this year. **
 * I am looking forward to another great three weeks and to get to know all of you better. **
 * Respectfully, **
 * Sofia Vallarte Hernandez **