“A Chinese linguist may know as many as 8,000 characters, but many of them are obsolete or uncommon,” she said. “About 600 characters look like the pictures for the word they represent.”
To help teach this distinctly different language to Seymour students Duan uses an array of methods including correlating pictures with characters, repeating common character usages and painting activities.
“The best way to learn a language is to be fully immersed in a culture that only speaks that language, but that is impossible for many students,” she said. “I encourage my students to speak Chinese at home and we greet each other in Chinese when we see each other in the hall.”
Duan said that teaching children a new language at a young age also improves the learning curve.
In addition to knocking down language barriers, Duan said learning Chinese is also important for the development of critical thinking skills.
“Studies show that people who are bilingual or trilingual are able to think faster and usually make more rational decisions,” she said. “Language is a tool, and it can give us access to more opportunity.”
Although she teaches at SPS, Duan is an employee of Hanban, a semi-governmental organization based in China. The Hanban program Duan works for takes teachers such as Duan, who have taught English as a Second Language in China and have an interest teaching Chinese to American students and networks with participating schools.
Duan had originally visited the area through Johnson University, but after speaking with SPS Principal Jan Moore a plan was made to have Chinese taught to some of Seymour’s youngest students.
Since 2010, Duan has brought her more than 20 years of teaching experience to Seymour.
“Jan Moore was very open and this is a great opportunity,” Duan said.
Currently Duan has more than 200 second grade students whom she teaches Chinese to in Seymour.
“I feel a great sense of accomplishment when students are able to speak and read Chinese,” she said. “This is how I get to learn about Tennessee.”