An English Teacher’s Quest to Save School’s Chinese Language Program - Participant Story - Intensive Summer Language Institutes Program Denise Tatum, a seasoned classroom teacher from Clark County, Nevada, completed the Intensive Summer Language Institutes Program for teachers of Chinese at Northeast Normal University in Changchun, China during the summer of 2011.
 
“I have been a teacher in the Clark County School District in Nevada for 13 years,” explains Tatum.  “I started as a substitute English teacher in 1998, and two years later, took a full-time teaching position as an English teacher at Cheyenne High School.  I love my job, and at that time I thought English teaching would be my life-long career.  However, five years ago when my school announced it would offer Mandarin Chinese, my life changed.”

Ms. Tatum’s critical-need language studies began in 2006 after her school district’s plans to hire a Chinese instructor fell through.  Her principal expressed his concern at a faculty meeting, fearing the premature cancellation of the new Chinese language courses.

Without any prior Chinese language experience, Tatum boldly volunteered to become the new Chinese instructor herself and take on the dual challenge of both learning and teaching the new language. 

“Most people were in disbelief that I, a Polish American who didn’t know one word in Chinese, would be teaching kids this difficult language,” she recollects.  Recognizing her hard work at mastering the language, Tatum’s school sent her on a grueling six-week, Chinese language immersion program in Chengdu, China.  This would be the first of many rigorous language immersion programs in Tatum’s training.

In 2011, Ms. Tatum was one of only 18 Chinese teachers selected nationwide for the Intensive Summer Language Institutes Program, and focused her summer studies on perfecting her verbal and written language skills.  Reflecting on her experience abroad, Tatum says, “I have learned so many things about the Chinese language and culture.  I am in awe of Chinese people’s values when it comes to education.”

Intensive Summer Language Institute China participants attend classes at the College of Humanities and Sciences of Northeast Normal University in Changchun, China.  The program combines 20 hours of classroom-based intensive language instruction per week with pedagogical seminars, cultural enrichment activities, and city-wide excursions.  In addition, each participant is partnered with a peer tutor for one-on-one language practice.  Ten hours of graduate credit through Bryn Mawr College are awarded upon the program’s completion.

"I really was amazed at my progress during my participation in the Intensive Summer Language Institute,” says Tatum of her experience.  “My language classes were very small, so I had hours of speaking practice with my Chinese instructor and classmates.  I was given daily opportunities to engage in presentations using the Chinese language.  My absolute favorite aspect of the program was my language partner.  Each participant was paired with a Chinese language partner.  My language partner would work with me daily in the classroom.  However, my most memorable experiences were the excursions outside the classroom."