Angel Wei has been teaching the “Mommy and Me” class since Fall 2015. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Psychology from Central China Normal University, and a master’s degree in Global Business from Pepperdine University. Enthusiastic about the Chinese culture, she is very excited to share Chinese folk songs with students and parents, while making learning fun.

Louise Xu possesses a master’s degree in English and a bachelor’s degree in English, and minors in Psychology and Art. She has been teaching at West Valley Chinese Academy since 2010. She also works as an English lecturer at California State University, Northridge and loves teaching and working with students.

Yong Zhao, a native Chinese speaker and the teacher of the Pinyin class, was born in Shenyang and possesses a bachelor’s degree in math from the University of California, Davis. After college, she worked as a Mandarin teacher and math tutor in Los Angeles county. She has experience teaching Chinese as a private home teacher and in a small-classroom environment. She is very organized, creative and dedicated to helping students be successful in learning Chinese, and appreciating Chinese culture while playing fun games.

Elaine Zhang, the teacher for Book 1, possesses a bachelor’s degree in English, and more than ten years of experience in teaching English. She loves teaching and sharing Chinese culture with her students, with the hopes that the new generation of Chinese in the United States have a better understanding of Chinese culture.

Hong Liu received her bachelor’s degree from The Music Institution of China and first taught music at Sichuan Province Art College’s department of film and television. She has been teaching different levels of Chinese classes at the William S. Hart Union High School District in Santa Clarita ever since she came to the United States – seven years ago. She possesses great communications skills, and is dedicated to helping her students.

Suki Zhao is a native Chinese speaker who possesses a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from China University of Political Science and Law. After college, she worked as a civil judge at a district court in Shanghai. She has more than nine years of experience teaching Chinese – as a teacher at West Valley Chinese Academy, and as a private tutor. Her teaching philosophy is to develop methods to inspire my students to find their own ways of learning Chinese and as she says – learning Chinese is fun, and should be fun.

Cynthia Lin has more than 20 years of experience in teaching the Mandarin language and Chinese culture. She uses diverse teaching methods to increase students’ interest in learning, with the use of stimulating classroom activities, and  encouraging students to understand the language instead of just memorizing words. Ms. Lin has helped prepare many students for the SAT Chinese and AP Chinese tests – many of which obtained perfect scores.

Throughout her teaching career, she has been honored with many awards such as a  “Best Teacher Award” in 1997, “Outstanding Teacher Award” in 2003, and “SCCCS Teacher Award” in 2012.  Ms. Lin received her bachelor’s degree in Chinese Literature and her graduate degree from a California State University. Her goal is to help students conquer their challenges and achieve their dreams. Ms. Lin also teaches at other schools that are designed for gifted children or accredited by the WASC, and works in the technology industry.

Lucy Lu has devoted nearly 20 years to teaching Chinese. She has taught Chinese at many different schools and programs, and worked with students of all ages – from as young as the age of three to individuals who are more than 60 years old. She possesses a degree in accounting but found that teaching Chinese is truly her passion and something she really enjoys. She began teaching at West Valley Chinese Academy in 2005. She wants her students to enjoy learning, and this is reflected in her teaching methodology.

Linda J. Chen possesses a doctorate degree in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics and a master of arts degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. She has more than 16 years experience teaching both Chinese and English, and six years of experience working with international college students. In addition, she has a vast knowledge of multicultural language learning, richer teaching experiences, standard Mandarin, library science and Chinese culture background knowledge. She is passionate about the teaching and communication of the Chinese language and culture, and hopes students enjoy learning the language as well.