It's ni hao Lew-Port for Chinese teacher

Lewiston

Related Photos

Wang Ying, a visiting teacher from Tianjin No. 2 High School in China, teaches Chinese as a second language to students at Lewiston-Porter High School as part of a special program through the UB Confucius Academy. Photo by James Neiss

February 12, 2012

By Timothy ChippN Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Sun Feb 12, 2012, 10:58 PM EST

LEWISTON — “Knee how.”

While the spelling is incorrect, the pronunciation is exactly how the Chinese say hello. The sentiment is precisely how Wang Ying, the newest — though temporary — member of the Lewiston-Porter faculty greeted her students for the first time when she arrived in late January.

Wang has spent several years in the International program at Tianjin No. 2, an influential secondary school in China’s port city of Tianjin. While she has almost no experience teaching American students, she said she has worked with Germans, Australians and Arabs previously, which help her prepare not only for different cultures, but also different education systems.

As for Lewiston-Porter’s student body, Wang said she’s impressed with how disciplined and how willing to learn the students are. She said one student even came into class the second day and greeted her in Chinese, which she was happy to hear. She said she’s happy so far with her decision to teach in the district.

“So far, so good,” she said during her first week. “My colleagues here have really impressed me. They’ve been very kind. But I miss my parents. My parents support me very much. But my father hopes I will enjoy life here.”

Wang’s duties are many in the district. She’s teaching Chinese classes in each building, working with everyone from primary level children through high school students. She’ll also help Lew-Port host a Chinese experience summer camp through UBCI, which will give all Niagara County school children the opportunity to spend the summer learning about Chinese culture and the language.

Her extended stay at Lew-Port is more than just a partnership with Tianjin No. 2, though. Wang joined the school as a faculty member through a program involving Hanban, the Chinese state-sponsored organization specializing in promoting Chinese culture and language throughout the world.

Hanban has partnered with the University at Buffalo to form a Confucius Institute. UBCI Executive Director Eric Yang said the institute strives to provide area students with “enhanced opportunities for language learning and provide students, teachers and administrators with opportunities to conduct exchanges and joint projects.”

“Our primary goal is to encourage more people in Western New York to study Chinese language and gain a fuller understanding of and appreciation for Chinese history and culture through workshops, lectures, festivals, language classes, and cultural programs,” Yang said. “A major function of UBCI is to provide teachers to schools to help them establish or expand Chinese language programs. Trained teachers of Chinese as a foreign language are selected from UB's partner university, Capital Normal University in Beijing, and from a pool established by CI Headquarters. Candidate teachers are then interviewed by UBCI staff. The teachers chosen to come to Western New York are placed in local schools based on the expressed needs of the local school or district.”

In addition, UBCI is working with Lew-Port to set up the first public high school Confucius Classroom in the area, joining several private schools in the Buffalo area. Yang said the district’s application is being considered by the institute’s governing body, but all of the requirements to bring the Chinese language learning environment to Lew-Port have been met.

“It’s a great opportunity for our students and this community to be forward looking and hone in on these 21st century skills,” Lew-Port principal Paul Casseri said. “They come out of school and need to be college and career ready. This helps us get them moving in that direction for sure.”

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Lewiston

Labor group laments economic development efforts
Economic development in New York state has become a joke to some in the area. And many of them are demanding changes to a process which spends approximately $3 billion a year.

May 24, 2012
Repaving work on Old Military Road rises to $790K
Sometimes a change is good. Sometimes a change is bad. For the Town of Lewiston, a change can be pretty costly.

May 24, 2012
Lewiston village board contends with safety issues
The Lewiston Village Board thinks it's unsafe to conduct fundraisers in the middle of its busiest street.

In an effort to keep everyone safe as possible along Center Street, the board denied a varsity football team request to collect money from motorists buzzing by on June 2 and 16 and instead approved the team to hold a car wash at the village hall.

May 21, 2012
Lewiston could receive new lease for Joe Davis

The town could soon assume greater control at Joseph Davis State Park.

According to town Supervisor Steve Reiter, New York State Parks may be caving on an extended lease agreement, which would allow the Joseph Davis State Park Local Development Corp. to move forward with plans for improving the property.

May 14, 2012
Lewiston jet boat suit tossed
The second of two lawsuits brought against the Village of Lewiston and Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours has been dismissed.

May 9, 2012
Lewiston officials back in Sanborn Wednesday
They did it to make sure the proposed zoning changes were appropriate, but Town of Lewiston officials were back in the Sanborn Fire Hall explaining their reasonings again Wednesday.

May 9, 2012
Lew-Port school board lays out budget
When Lewiston and Porter residents hit the polls Tuesday, they'll be deciding three items.

May 8, 2012
Lewiston historical group approved for war re-enactment
It's never too early to plan a commemoration, especially for the Historical Association of Lewiston and the bicentennial of the Battle of Queenston Heights.

May 7, 2012
Legislature raps Army Corps' plan to replace LOOW Resident Advisory Board
The county Legislature went on record last week supporting the existing residents’ panel trying to advise the federal government on clean-up of a radioactive waste site in Lewiston-Porter.

May 7, 2012
$863,000 budget gap could leave some out of a job at Lew-Port
Though Superintendent Christopher Roser said he has tried desperately to avoid cutting positions at Lewiston-Porter, his attempts may have struck out.

May 6, 2012
More Lewiston Headlines

Lewiston

Search Results

Related Photos

It's ni hao Lew-Port for Chinese teacher

Site Map

Contact Us