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A Google search and a dream
As with many adventures these days, Samantha Liu’s journey to the United States all began with a simple Google search.
“I am a fan of immersion education and I was thinking, ‘What’s a good way to teach my daughter English?’” said Liu, who was teaching Chinese to South Korean school children at the time. “So, I Googled it.”
What she ultimately found was an opportunity that brought her to Raleigh to teach -- what else? Chinese Immersion at Stough Magnet Elementary School.
Immersion language is just as it implies. Students learn Chinese – specifically, Mandarin – by speaking it throughout the day with Liu, an assistant and volunteers. All core subjects are taught in Mandarin.
“Kids are learning languages in a very different way from how adults can think,” said Liu. “They have to learn how to behave, how to do collaboration between peers, how to have good learning habits. I adjust my instruction to their learning style.”
Passion, motivation for teaching in U.S.
Liu’s passion for teaching was sparked as a high school student in the Shandong Province of eastern China, when she would tutor her younger brothers and their friends. So in college she majored in teaching Chinese as a foreign language, at Yantai University.
“Yantai is a very beautiful seaside city. We could smell the sea from our dormitory window,” said Liu.
“I always wondered what was on the other side of the ocean. Maybe from that moment my motivation for coming to America already started.”
College friends from South Korea inspired her to begin her career there. But after four years of teaching and the birth of her daughter, Liu set her sights on the U.S.
Drop in on Samantha Liu's Chinese Immersion classroom at Stough Magnet Elementary School
'Our best choice'
“I thought, if I wanted to give my daughter the best experience and a great education, then America was our best choice,” she said.
That’s when the Googling began. She and her husband both eventually found teaching jobs via the Visiting International Faculty (VIF) program. He teaches Chinese as an elective at Poe Elementary and Ligon Middle Schools.
“I got the job, came here and made my dreams come true,” said Liu.
Now Liu is helping her kindergartners kick-start their own dreams. The Chinese Immersion program is in its third year at Stough and it’s going strong.
As with her own daughter’s immersion into English, Liu says she is constantly amazed at how her students learn.
“At the very beginning of my immersion career I had a lot of questions for myself,” she said. “As the year went by, I understood that as long as we could be patient enough, step back and give the students enough time, they will get it, and never forget it.”
If we are patient enough and give them time to figure it out by themselves, it’s in their brain forever.
Paying future dividends
“It’s a thrilling program,” said Stough Principal Chris Cox. “To see our kids do multiple subject areas in Mandarin, and to see them interact with our Mandarin staff and even guests on our tours, has been pretty amazing.”
Cox said that parents feel strongly that the program will pay dividends in the future, opening up greater opportunities for their children in a global marketplace. Liu added that her students’ parents not only support it, but also are expressing interest in learning more about Chinese language and culture themselves.
Sharing her culture is exciting for Liu. But seeing her students learn and grow is even more so.
“I am very passionate about this,” said Liu. “We have a lot of advantages for students in the Chinese immersion program.”
