Fred A. Toomer Elementary School

FATE is one of the select few schools in APS to offer Mandarin Chinese within its foreign language instruction program. The burgeoning opportunities to use the Chinese language around the world have made Mandarin an important subject in many schools throughout the nation, including the city of Atlanta. I am working hard to ensure that I offer my students with a stimulating learning environment that exposes them to a new language as well as a new culture. I am excited to be preparing students in our school family to be active in the global community, and to build on Toomer's strong foundation in Mandarin instruction which began in 2008.

During my first year of teaching Mandarin Chinese at Toomer, I'll be focusing on three areas to enhance instruction for students from beginning to advanced levels. First, I will teach students the foundational concepts of the language, introducing them to simple vocabulary and conversations prevalent in everyday life. Secondly, I will emphasize active learning by engaging students in the class through visual arts, music and multimedia tools. Students will learn the language through interactive processes and will be encouraged to react to increasingly complex questions in the classroom. Thirdly, Chinese language is grounded in culture. By introducing famous stories, historical milestones, art and events such as Moon Festival in mid-September, students will connect the language to deeper cultural experiences.