Through play, Josephine Huang teaches Chinese and molds lifelong learners

By Kalen Russell, Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing

This is Josephine Huang’s 20th year teaching Chinese at University School of Nashville. In 2001, she started as a parent helping hand in After School, teaching students Chinese through baking, activities, and songs. In 2007, when USN was ready to add Chinese courses to its World Languages Department, Huang transitioned into the classroom and helped establish the Chinese language program, and the rest is history. Her care for students and innovative teaching practices have made Chinese one of USN’s most successful foreign language programs.

“Through her passion for the Chinese language and culture, her dedication, and her incredible energy, she built a strong and thriving Chinese program from the ground up. Josephine has poured her heart and soul into every one of her Chinese classes. She has truly revitalized enrollment in Chinese and created a program that continues to grow,” said High School French Teacher and World Language Department Chair Richard Espenant.

This year, Huang teaches 10 students in seventh grade, 10 in eighth grade, eight in Chinese 4, and five in AP Chinese. The number of students participating in USN’s upper-level Chinese classes reflects Huang’s skill and impact as a master teacher who inspires lifelong learning.

“Even more than the growth of the program, I deeply admire the way Josephine teaches. I have had the privilege of observing her classes, and I was amazed by the level of target-language use among her students. By the time students reach High School, they use Chinese almost exclusively in her classroom. As soon as students enter the room, they greet her in Chinese and remain engaged in the target language throughout the class period. Watching her students communicate so naturally and confidently is remarkable,” said Espenant.

Underlying Huang’s undeniable impact is her methodology, which has earned national recognition.

“I want to help them relate or connect with something,” she explains, describing how her class connected with the Chinese alphabet. “Instead of ABCD, we have BPMF,” said Huang, who was thrilled when her seventh-grade class created its own drum cadence to help them memorize the Chinese phonetic alphabet, Pinyin. “Keeping time at their desks helps students connect to their learning. It’s their hands moving, their mouth, their eyes, plus their heartbeat. So you combine many of the five senses plus the heartbeat. That’s a winning ticket.” 

Huang’s goals for her students are for them to learn the basics well so they build a strong foundation in the language, and to gain exposure to Chinese culture and its emphasis on honor and respect for others. These goals were reflected during an eighth-grade field trip to Sichuan Hot Pot & Asian Cuisine, where students put their learning to the test by ordering meals in Chinese for their families. The next day, the lesson continued with a role-playing activity where students practiced ordering sparkling apple cider or sodas by taking turns as the waiter and customer.