Tutors for Chinese Languages

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Cantonese/Mandarin tutor

April 2014

Does anyone know of a Chinese tutor who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin? Are there any UCB students available, for instance? I want a tutor who speaks English and has an excellent Mandarin accent. I'll also accept recommendations for a good tutor if they only teach Mandarin through both dialects would be preferable. We can meet anywhere from Hercules, Pinole, El Sobrante to El Cerrito, Albany and Berkeley. It can be at my house, your house, the library or the park. I'm flexible. I want my two kids to be more exposed to both dialects and to learn to converse in the language and write some characters. If you don't know anyone, do you know if UCB will list such a posting with its career center? Thanks. - Mom trying not to give up on language instruction for kids

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Lily Chung is a local tutor. She speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin. Her e-mail address is below. lilych02 [at] yahoo.com Mica

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Looking for a non PRC Mandarin Class for 6 year old

Feb 2014

We have just relocated to Montclair from a long stint in various countries in South-East Asia. If/when we move on Taiwan is looking like our most likely destination. We are native English speakers who would like to find a Mandarin class or tutor for our five and six year-old that will be fun (no drilling with endless flash cards) and teach traditional characters instead of simplified. We would love to find a Taiwanese teacher, but are not sure how possible that is. We would appreciate any suggestions you have. Sam

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Hi, our kids have been going to Saturday morning Chinese school in Oakland-  Shouren Chinese School (http://www.srchinese.org/). The school is run by a group of mostly Taiwanese teachers and volunteered parents. Our kids are half- Taiwanese, but totally fluent in Mandarin Chinese since they started Chinese school 5 years ago. We would highly recommend Shouren Chinese School; our kids love going to Chinese class every week and it has become an important social circle in our life as well. You could go for a trial class on Saturday morning. This Saturday is a holiday, thus the school is off. But next Saturday 2/22, the school is open as regular classes resume. Please contact Principal Long longdg [at] aol.com if you have any questions. Or email me, I will be more than happy to answer any questions you have. Happy Shouren Chinese School parent

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Mandarin language class or preschool?

Sept 2011

Can anyone recommend a Mandarin language class or preschool in the Oakland/Alameda/Berkeley area? I'm interested in finding a class for my 3-1/2 year old to attend on Tuesday or Thursday mornings. Thanks in advance for any recommendations! Looking for language

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Hello - My 26 mo old daughter has a mandarin speaking nanny & we're looking for a part time playmate for her. Our nanny is great! She came from China about 3 1/2 years ago with her family and has been with our daughter since she was 4 mo. We're in Rockridge. Our daughters Mandarin is getting quite good (we're told) - especially the last few months. We're also involved with Yu Ming - a new Mandarin immersion charter school. That starts at kindergarten.

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Looking for learning Mandarin online for kids

April 2011

My 10-y.o. son has expressed an interest in learning Mandarin (he is in a Spanish immersion class at school; we are a Chinese American family but do not speak Mandarin or Cantonese at home). We don't have the time or money commitment to sign up for a group tutor or class right now. I'm looking for recommendations for online (and preferably free or low cost) ''learn Mandarin'' resources geared for kids. I like Chinese Pod for adults because its approach is very informal and contemporary, but it might not hold a young child's interest as much.

Of course the best medium to learn a language is in a group setting, but I thought I'd let my son explore online resources first before deciding if he wants to put in more time into it. I studied Mandarin to an intermediate level and we know a few Mandarin-learners his age with whom he could practice speaking socially, so that should be enough to get him started. Xiexie!

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San Francisco Public Library offers two different online programs for learning a variety of languages, including Mandarin: Mango and Powerspeak. Although they are not specifically geared to children, I think an 8 year old could easily follow the beginning lessons well enough to see if they liked it or not. It's free for SFPL library card holders and anyone who has proof of CA address can get an SFPL card. Both of them are quite good and FREE.

I highly recommend them to anyone who wants to learn a new language, or take an ESL class online. The Librarian

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You can check out www.langokids.com for Mandarin for Kids. They offer once a week classes for 45-minutes that are outstanding...with at home reinforcement activities so you can suppliment. Cheryl

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In Need of Good Mandarin Instructional Materials for Kids

March 2011

Any suggestions for books/cds/learning materials offering solid instruction in Mandarin Chinese for young kids? I'm hoping to find engaging story lines and characters for my pre-schooler.

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I saw your post seeking Mandarin teaching materials, and wanted to recommend the book and accompanying CD 'Little Laura and the Birthday Surprise,' which my pre-schooler and I just love. Through a story and songs, this book tells the story of a girl, a boy, and a dog and cat who play games together. The story is told in English, with some words provided in Mandarin. My daughter easily learned phrases and words useful to her, such as, 'Hello, how are you?' 'Thank you,' and 'Where are my friends?' She quickly learned how to sing Happy Birthday and count to ten in Chinese. (A list of the vocabulary is included at the back of the book; the vocabulary words are also repeated, with pauses for pronunciation practice, at the end of the CD. This last part is especially pleasant, as music plays in the background.)

Laura Lee, who wrote the book, is a compelling storyteller (my husband spontaneously noted what a good reader she is). Laura has a gorgeous voice, and she also sings the engaging songs that accompany the story. This is the first in a series; my daughter and I are looking forward to the rest! See www.littlelauramusic.com Kathy

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2005 - 2009 Reviews

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Mandarin tutor for 11-year-old daughter

Oct 2007

We are looking for an afterschool class (or a tutor) in all aspects of Mandarin for our 11-year-old daughter (we may be able to put together a small class of 2-3 children). She has been studying Mandarin for several years with a wonderful teacher, but the emphasis of the class (almost all native speakers of Mandarin) is on reading and writing, and her interest is beginning to flag. We would like to find a tutor (or an existing class) with more of a focus on conversational Mandarin (as well as a reading/writing dimension). Saturday will not work; we need something during the week.

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ChinesePod.com offers Mandarin Tutoring Online out of Shanghai. It's fantastically effect, easy, free, funny and fun. They have lessons at every level with lots of commentary about the culture, too. I love it.

While oriented for adults who are acutally living in Chinese-speaking countries, there are plenty of lessons that are appropriate for children. There are lots of lessons for people who are planning to attend the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, too.

You use your computer to listen or download the podcasts. If you pay $5/month, you can also print out the vocabulary and dialogs in hanzi, pinyin, and English. There are more services for added fees - at the highest tier someone will call and chat with you every day! And you can always join the online discussion by posting questions and a teacher or other students will post answers. You can read everyone's commentary and learn a lot that way, too.

They offer other languages, apparently, but I don't know which ones off hand. Hen hao wan