The Difference Quality Chinese Teachers Make

My husband and I have taken turns attending Chinese classes at Keats School in Kunming for over four years now. Keats has students from all over world who come to learn Chinese in China. The learning environment of the school is excellent, but what we are most impressed with is the quality of the Chinese teachers. Many private schools seem to hire just about anyone, but all of the Keats teachers that we have had have been very good.

Each teacher brings his or her own experience and flavor to the class, but there are some overall great qualities that we have witnessed in all of our Keats teachers.

Down to Earth (踏实的, tà shí de)

Every teacher we have had at Keats School has been very down to earth (踏实的, tà shí de), level headed, and practical. And their teaching is geared to be that way as well. As you advance through their classes, you can study very high level grammar and vocabulary; however the focus from the beginning is on what is most useful for everyday life.

Instead of starting with lots of “book smart” Chinese, what you learn first are the things you need for daily life. As you proceed, Keats teachers strive to apply more complex sentence structures and vocabulary in ways that the average student can still remember and utilize easily.

Personable, get along well with others (相处融洽, xiāng chǔ róng qià)

With students coming from all over the globe, Keats classrooms are very diverse. You can learn a great deal about a lot of cultures besides Chinese while attending Keats. However, all of this diversity requires teachers that get along well with many different types of teachers. I think that the teachers at Keats school are great examples of getting along well with others (相处融洽, xiāng chǔ róng qià) or being very personable to their students.

Discussions and debates on different topics are utilized as teaching tools to get students practicing their speaking and listening skills and can be very useful. But when lots of different opinions are represented, it can take a lot to keep the discussion friendly and on track. Keats teachers do a very good job at not forcing a discussing in one particular way but guiding it so that everyone is heard and the lesson’s objectives are met.

Reliable (可靠的, kě kào de)

We have heard about other schools where classes are routinely canceled, often without warning, or where every class session the teacher is a different person, or where the class structure is more of a Chinese corner rather than a structured lesson.

Keats teachers almost never cancel class. They are very reliable (可靠的, kě kào de). They structure their classes well for real learning to take place. Teachers may employ different activities for more fun and enjoyable classes, but each activity is planned with learning in mind.

Funny (很幽默, hěn yōu mò)

Keats teachers are funny (很幽默, hěn yōu mò). Not only do they try hard to make their classes interesting and applicable, they also make them enjoyable as well. Teachers have different personalities and use different methods, but all of the teachers we have had have worked hard to make the class laugh from time to time.

Some teachers naturally joke around with students. Others include humorous stories, anecdotes, or news articles in their lessons.

It is great to learn some Chinese language and cultural specific jokes and humor as well because most jokes don’t translate well. Either the joke is in the phrasing itself or culturally it just isn’t funny. Learning humor in class can help you understand why everyone is laughing in real life conversations.

Well Prepared (准备好了, zhǔn bèi hǎo le)

This is similar to being reliable, but the teacher’s level of preparation does make a huge difference in what you can get out of a classroom experience. Too many schools seem to require very little preparation on the part of the teacher, but Keats teachers are required to be well prepared (准备好, zhǔn bèi hǎo) for all of their classes.

Even the newer teachers at Keats School all seem to have a clear lesson plan in mind for each class. Many clearly spend a lot of time making additional handouts on their own to ensure that if anything they have more than enough subject material, rather than constantly running out and just letting class out early. The time and care they take planning makes class run very smoothly.

This post is sponsored by Keats Chinese in Kunming.

Photos courtesy of Keats Chinese