Chinese teacher Yinxia Lin works one-on-one with Caleb Beers.

An Experienced Teacher of Chinese – and a Journalist

It’s a small world.

Yinxia Lin is John Scott Academy’s Chinese language instructor.

But I knew Mrs. Lin’s daughter, Irene, before I knew Mrs. Lin herself.

Amy Zhao, a colleague and a Cincinnati Contemporary Chinese School administrator, had asked me in late 2005 to develop a writing workshop that would help students attending CCCS prepare for the essay portion of the SAT test.

Irene, who is an excellent writer and is now a junior at Mason High School, was a participant in the SAT essay preparation workshop I held at John Scott Academy the summer of 2006.

Because I wanted Chinese to be one of the languages taught at John Scott Academy, I asked Mrs. Zhao if she knew anyone who would be qualified to work with academically gifted students. She recommended Mrs. Lin.

I first met with Mrs. Lin to discuss teaching at John Scott Academy at her home, where I received my initial lesson in Chinese etiquette: “Please take your shoes off,” I was asked as I entered the foyer.

Mrs. Lin has been an excellent addition to the John Scott Academy faculty.

Born and raised in the People’s Republic of China, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Chinese literature and history at ZheJiang University, a prestigious institution of higher learning that includes among its alumni Nobel laureate (physics) Tsung-Dao Lee.

Mrs. Lin’s journalism career in China includes working as both a journalist and an editor at the Ningbo television station and as chief editor of the newspaper at the Hangzhou Financial Management Institute. She was awarded the television station’s Honorary Editor’s Award in 1990. Among the rewarding experiences of her journalism career, she says, was the opportunity to interview world chess champion Mingqian Wu.

Mrs. Lin has lived in the United States for 12 years, and the Cincinnati Contemporary Chinese School has benefited from her teaching for the past decade. She was awarded CCCS Teacher of the Year honors for the 1997-98 academic year.

“The teaching I have done at CCCS has included preparing students for the Chinese SAT II examination, and many of the students I helped to prepare for that exam received outstanding scores,” says Mrs. Lin, who adds that “I have coached many students for Chinese essay competitions worldwide, and most of them received multiple awards.”

Mrs. Lin has also tutored American adult students from beginner to advanced levels.

The fact that Mrs. Lin was brought up and educated in China is a huge plus for John Scott Academy students. Not only is Chinese her native language, it is also her native culture, and her teaching blends China’s history, culture and traditions into her language instruction.

In her view, both Chinese and American teaching styles present challenges.

“The Chinese overstress book knowledge and push students too hard, while Americans are too relaxed and students experience much freedom and little pressure,” she says, adding that “when I teach American students I am always worried that I might push them too hard.”

We’re not worried about the pushing. The students Mrs. Lin had worked with at John Scott Academy have kept the pace with her just fine.

John Overbeck