NEWS Walnut Valley Unified School District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 880 S. Lemon Avenue
August 11, 2014 Walnut, CA 91789
Contact:
Kelli Gile, Office of Community Resources
(909)595-1261 ext. 31204
Walnut Elementary to Host Teacher from China Through State Department Program
WALNUT, CA—Walnut Elementary School welcomes Yang Jing who will teach Chinese in the school’s FLES (Foreign Language in Elementary School) program during the 2014-2015 school year.
Jing has been awarded a fellowship from the U.S. Department of State to participate in the 2014 Teachers of Critical Language Program (TCLP). Since 2006, TCLP has provided fellowships to over 190 primary and secondary school teachers of English from Egypt and China to teach in K-12 schools throughout the United States.
Jing arrived in Los Angeles for the very first time on Thursday, August 7 accompanied by her mentor Krystin Wong. They had spent the previous few days together in Washington, D.C. at TCLP training.
She was greeted at the airport by her new Principal, Janet Green and Community Liaison Jenny Kwan-Hata.
“Since Jing teaches English in Beijing, it was easy to communicate with her immediately. We have been looking forward to meeting her for months and are amazed at the instant connections we had with her,” said Green.
Walnut Elementary participated in a nation-wide competition in order to host a TCLP teacher.
Yang Jing is one of a total of 22 teachers who have been selected from Egypt and China for participation in TCLP.
Jing is currently staying with Krystin Wong who teaches in the school’s Dual Language Immersion Program. She will then live with different families throughout the year in order to experience a variety of American lifestyles.
Jing learned all the names of her fellow teachers before meeting them at a welcome party just two days after she arrived.
Jing is excited to begin teaching Chinese to students not enrolled in the Dual Language Immersion Program when school begins on August 18. She will teach kindergarteners through third graders, provide Mandarin intervention for DLI students, and team teach using the new Common Core State Standards. She will also have Mandarin clubs for students in grades four and five.
In addition to teaching their native languages, TCLP exchange teachers expand the understanding of the world in their U.S. host communities by establishing strong ties with teachers, students, parents and members of community, and by sharing information about their home countries and cultures.
Shown:
Yang Jing will teach Chinese at Walnut Elementary during the 2014-2015 school year through a fellowship awarded by the U.S. Department of State.
Walnut Elementary School welcomes teacher Yang Jing who will teach Chinese during the 2014-2015 school year through a fellowship awarded by the U.S. Department of State. Shown with Principal Janet Green.