Yajie Zhang Presents at Inaugural Conference of Developing and Administrating Chinese Language Education in Upstate New York K-12 Schools

Nichols School Chinese teacher Yajie Zhang recently presented at the 2022 “Inaugural Conference of Developing and Administrating Chinese Language Education in Upstate New York K-12 Schools” at Alfred University. Ms. Zhang was invited to speak about her experience bringing Chinese to Nichols, obstacles she had to overcome, and how she helped to grow the Nichols Chinese language program since 2007. She presented everything from preparation to establishment and development.

 

Ms. Zhang started teaching Chinese in 1998 at the Buffalo Chinese School and came to Nichols in 2007. When she arrived at Nichols, Chinese was not one of the modern languages offered. The Chinese language program was formed from the ground up. Since 2007, she has established a Confucius Classroom to foster an appreciation for Chinese language and culture, developed an AP Chinese course & curriculum, and coordinated an international exchange program with a school in Wuhan, China. In 2012, the Nichols Chinese Program received an official Confucius Classroom title from the American Asian Society. In December of 2021, she was recognized with the Confucius Educator Award by the University at Buffalo’s Confucius Institute.

 

Thank you to Ms. Zhang for your passion for the Chinese language and all you have done for Nichols School. Congratulations on being selected to present at the 2022 “Inaugural Conference of Developing and Administrating Chinese Language Education in Upstate New York K-12 Schools.” For more information about the conference, or the Confucius Classroom, check out the Alfred University website.