Butler Academy hosts Mandarin Teacher through S.C. State Department Program
(From left): Butler Academy’s new Mandarin teacher Wanlin Lin and Middle School Dean of Academics Nateisha Taylor. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Butler Academy welcomed Lin Wanlin from Taipei City, Taiwan, to our school and community this month. Lin will teach Mandarin to scholars in each of the school’s K-6 grades. “While more than 6,000 languages are spoken worldwide, Mandarin is the immersive language experience taught at Butler Academy,” said Butler Academy President Jerome Reyes. “All scholars are exposed to Mandarin weekly, working independently and in small groups to develop their speaking and comprehension skills. They learn to read and write characters, plus explore the teacher’s native culture through music, food, and holidays, like the Chinese New Year.”
“Exposing Butler Academy students to Mandarin Chinese as early as Kindergarten fits perfectly with our emphasis on social and emotional learning and cultural awareness and is yet another way we are committed to a whole-child education,” said Butler Academy Middle School Dean of Academics Nateisha Taylor. Lin’s one-year appointment at Butler academy was made possible through a competitive award by the American Councils for International Education. Butler Academy was one of 19 schools nationwide to receive the award.
The State Department’s Teachers of Critical Language Program (TCLP) is designed to increase the study and acquisition of important world languages in U.S. Schools. This program enables primary and secondary schools to strengthen their teaching of critical languages by bringing teachers to the U.S. to teach their native Arabic and Chinese language for an academic year. Launched in 2006, TCLP has launched or expanded more than 220 critical language programs in K-12 schools throughout the United States.
In addition to receiving a native speaker of Mandarin or Arabic to teach language classes, students, teachers, and
community members have the opportunity to learn about the TCLP exchange teachers’ home cultures, expanding their understanding of the world and preparing them for study and work in an interconnected world. Through TCLP, many schools establish lasting bonds with their exchange teachers’ home schools abroad.