Yuanxi Shi studied preschool education at Tianjin Normal University, and loves teaching the “Mommy and Me” class at WVCA. She loves kids, is energetic, and strongly believes in game-based learning to motivate students to learn Mandarin. Over the past six years, she has taught students between the ages of 2 and 7 at a Chinese bilingual school. In her spare time she enjoys playing the pipa, a Chinese musical instrument, and spending time with her friends.

Jessie Olea holds a bachelor’s degree in English and has been working as a bilingual teacher since 2011. With boundless enthusiasm and love for kids, she finds joy in teaching and hopes to continue dedicating herself to the field of education.

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.

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.

Cairong Wang graduated from Beijing Normal University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. She has dedicated herself to being an educator in China and the United States for many years. She always enjoys teaching, and spending time with students.

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.

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.

Hui Zhou is proud to be teaching a class that is new to West Valley Chinese Academy this year – the AP Chinese Language and Culture class. Ms. Zhou possesses a doctorate degree in literature from Renmin University in China. She has been teaching Mandarin for many years, excels in integrating Chinese culture into language instruction, and enjoys helping students with life skills.