Throughout Glacier Peak, the chance to learn a new language is an exciting part of the curriculum. The school offers Spanish, German, and Chinese, which all take on their own unique structure in teaching styles. Song Laoshi, our Chinese teacher, focuses on a different style of learning, containing art, games, and more. Using apps like GimKit, where you can play different games that also require you to answer questions in Chinese. These games help you study, while making it less stressful because of the structure.

“I chose Chinese before my freshman year, it just seemed like the most interesting choice. I had never heard of GimKit before but, everyone is always so excited when we get to play it. For me, I think it helps with studying because I have trouble remembering all the characters,” Lauren Hufford said.

Beginning at Chinese one and lasting through Chinese four, artistic projects are a common theme in the class, being used to enhance memory as well as add a sense of fun to the class. Whether they are through posters of body silhouettes that hang from the class wall, or the calligraphy that hangs outside of the room, each project is beneficial for the students. “Even though I’m really bad at art, it makes it fun, I like to draw in the class because Song Laoshi isn’t strict on if the art is bad, it’s just silly but it does help me remember the characters better. Most of our projects have a variation of choices, we have one where you dance or sing, and we even made a music video this year. Sometimes the presentations are stressful but, we barely have any tests. Overall, I’m really glad I picked it because the class is so fun,” Hufford said.

While the different methods of learning are important, the teacher is too. Students admire Song Laoshi for not only her teaching style, but also her flexibility and personality. “Song Laoshi is one of the most supportive teachers I’ve ever had. She’s so helpful when you ask for it which makes it so much easier to learn, I always feel excited to go to class and she is always super fun to talk to,” Gabby Mitchell said. “We get to have fun projects and it makes learning so fun.”

Overall, Chinese is less intimidating than students may think, while the language is nowhere near similar to English, Song Laoshi supports and teaches in a way that makes it fun, memorable, and easy to learn.