Range of Services

Hitting the books

Supplemental tutoring for high school or college second language requirement, with bonus cultural content if desired. Make sure summer slide doesn't happen. Prepare for the exams you need, including the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) or the AP Chinese Language and Culture exam. Homework required for exam prep.

The first taste

This is an introduction to Chinese culture with carefully curated stories, music, games, or videos. Get to know how the spoken and written language is organized and the rudiments of the pronunciation system. Sample different kinds of food and festivals. If you like, we can add doses of character recognition to the lessons, writing strokes, graphic novels, translated texts... the choice is yours.

Riverside Mandarin offers a range of services for all levels of proficiency, for ages 6 - senior citizen. Below are some samples of what I teach. Mix and match any of these in any ratio to personalize your experience. Or come up with your own idea of what to learn!

For the culture buff

Go deeper into movies like Nezha or Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, video games like Romance of the Three Kingdoms, or browse Sun Tzu's Art of War. Explore music and stories from Chinese mythology and history. Learn as much (or as little) language as you wish along the way. The emphasis here is on cultural fun.

Go east

Emphasis here is on functional conversation. Maybe you're planning on a trip out east, or want to try ordering food in Mandarin at a Chinese restaurant. We will practice natural dialogue, complete with regional differences depending on where you're headed. Some character recognition if you like, to help figure out street signs and directions -- always useful!

Questions & Answers

Are your sessions in-person or virtual?

I offer both options. In-person sessions are in Guilford, Connecticut.

Must I do homework between sessions?

This is entirely up to you! If you are in it purely for the cultural fun, there will be zero homework.

If you are in it for some language learning, I would suggest that learners practice a little Mandarin once a day at least 2-3x per week, outside of our lessons. It is not mandatory, but strongly recommended if you would like to see progress.

I will tailor homework to the amount of time you wish to put in. This can be anything from less than 5 minutes (you listen to a video playback and repeat certain sounds), to 10-20 minutes of self-study (you might write a row of characters or read a few sentences).

For those hitting the books, 30-45 minutes 4-5x weekly may be needed depending on your level of proficiency and the test you are preparing for.

How do you customize the sessions?

Collaborative and personalized learning is at the heart of Riverside Mandarin. The first meeting is a free 30-minute consultation session to discuss your needs and end-goals. Based on that consultation, I will plan a program of study for you to sign off on. Lesson plans can be on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis. We will touch base frequently to ensure that the lessons are meeting your expectations.

Small-group classes can be similarly collaborative if learners with a similar purpose and proficiency level decide to form a group (minimum of 2, maximum of 4). I can assist in organizing a group if there is sufficient interest.

What days and times are you available?

Weekdays 2 - 5pm. Weekends are more flexible with advance notice.

I'm a parent with little or no Mandarin background. How can I support my child learning the language?

After every lesson, I offer a 15-minute debrief to review the material and go over any at-home support they would like to give. I will send videos and audio files for self-study, so that parents with no Mandarin background should be able to help their child/ren.

Parent-child joint lessons are also available, for those who would like to learn along with their child.