Mandarin Teacher Helps Students Experience Culture

Photo by Morgan German

by April Bayer

Part of Concordia’s mission as a Christian institution is to prepare students to serve “in the Church and world.” One of the people who makes this global mission possible is Mandarin teacher Chiu Cheng Yu, known to most students as “Jo.”

Chiu, who is originally from Taipei, Taiwan, spent the first couple years after her college graduation working as a waitress in Australia. She then spent a year and a half teaching English in Taiwan and Vietnam. She also worked with friends to create an app to help others learn Mandarin before beginning teacher training at Washington University in St. Louis.

Chiu is Concordia’s fourth Mandarin teacher and plans to stay for at least one more year while she completes her Masters degree through Concordia’s graduate program.

Chiu says that learning a foreign language like Mandarin is a great way for students to connect with people from other cultures, especially if they are entering the mission field.

“In Seward, especially the Midwest area, we don’t have a lot of exposure to diversity of cultures,” Chiu said. “Learning a new language is a good way to open your eyes and open your heart to get to know another culture…I just wish that the students on campus (could) have a chance to know that the world is bigger than all of us think.”

This semester Chiu is teaching beginning, intermediate and advanced Mandarin classes and is also trying to sit in on classes taught by other professors so she can get to know more students and continue to practice her English.

“(Jo) is eager to learn, and she’s dynamic in her teaching,” Chair of Intercultural Studies and Modern Languages Dr. Vicki Anderson said. “She’s an inquisitive Master’s degree student…As a Chinese teacher, she’s really developing. She’s willing to step outside the box to help her students learn, and I really appreciate that.”

Chiu has made efforts not only to help her students learn Mandarin, but also to provide language immersion experiences, as well as opportunities to learn more about Asian culture. Last semester, her students took a trip to the Oriental Market in Lincoln to practice their Mandarin and learn about the ingredients in Asian foods. They then made a soup called “hot pot” and watched a Taiwanese movie. They also participated in a celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.

While living in Seward, Chiu has also had a chance to learn more about American culture. She says that while she is homesick, there are also many things she enjoys about the community, including the fellowship, the kindness of her friends and colleagues, and people’s willingness to confront problems that need to be fixed.

“There is not much cultural difference that I find here because people in Taiwan are as warm-hearted as people in Seward,” Chiu said.

Chiu hopes to go on to teach English and Mandarin to junior high and high school students at international schools in developing countries after leaving Concordia.

“Overall, my social circle (at Concordia) is awesome and helps my spiritual growth. We encourage each other to be more like Jesus,” Chiu said. “You just rise, and you get closer to Jesus together, (which is) very restful.”