Teacher shares language, love of China

Sifting through a pile of phonetic flashcards, students assembled Chinese sentences and read them aloud.

It was only the third day of class, yet students at the Academy of Richmond County already had formed a grasp of basic Chinese conversation and worked through the language's pronunciation, six vowels and the four tones associated with each vowel.

Liang Lei, a native Mandarin-speaking teacher from Xuchang City located in Henan province in China, is participating in the Chinese Guest Teacher Program, a collaboration of the College Board, the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages and China's Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban).

"I want to teach so many people in the world to speak Chinese," Ms. Liang said. "I love this job."

And the students seem to share her enthusiasm, piecing together Chinese sentences in response to questions posed using the language.

As early as the first day, students left class and began greeting friends in the hallways using their new language.

"They are so clever and so smart," Ms. Liang said. "I feel a bit proud."

Jasmine Brown, a Richmond Academy senior, said the class is "something different."

"When I heard they were offering a Chinese class, I signed up for it," the 17-year-old said.

Jasmine has already taken two years of Spanish. Learning to speak Chinese, however, is proving much more difficult, she said.

Her classmate, Keenan Hadley, a junior, agreed.

"It's different than any other language offered at our school," he said, but added that it's fun.

Ms. Liang hopes that by the end of the school year her students are speaking basic Chinese, but are also more aware of another culture.

Throughout the year, she will introduce students to China's geography, art and everyday life, such as shopping, all of which differ from what she has found in America.

"It was a big surprise -- maybe a little culture shock," she said of arriving in this country for the first time.

The biggest difference might be the shopping, Ms. Liang said. In China, everything a person might need is within walking distance of home.

Ms. Liang teaches at Richmond Academy in the mornings and at A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet High School in the afternoons.

She will also be visiting other Richmond County schools and speaking about Chinese culture, said Penny Johnson, the school system's coordinator of fine arts. Already two elementary schools have requested for her to come.

"I tell you what we've got is a gem," Dr. Johnson said. "She's just a ball of fire, so much energy."

The Guest Teacher Program is for one year, but there is the option of continuing the program for up to another three years.

Ms. Liang's salary is paid through the program. In exchange, the school system provides housing and transportation.

According to the College Board, Chinese is the most widely spoken first language in the world.

Reach Greg Gelpi at (706) 828-3851 or greg.gelpi@augustachronicle.com.