Mandarin | Jufen Rui

I am the Lower School and High School Mandarin Teacher. I grew up in a “little town” with a population of more than 7 million in southeast China.
I graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Swahili, and later earned my Master’s degree in Contrastive and Applied Linguistics in 2011 at Tianjin Foreign Studies University. I have almost 10 years of teaching experience at different levels from pre-kindergarten to college level. I always enjoy spending my time with students. They inspire me in countless ways. Other things I love: nature and animals. I have a cat, a dog, and chickens, as well as vegetable and flower gardens. Reading and music always bring me a sense of peace.

Why do you love teaching Mandarin?

I have always loved learning languages - any and all languages - both in school as well as on my own. Knowing a foreign language opens a new door to that country’s culture. I always believe that if a person wants to conquer ignorance, shallowness, and stereotypes, the best method is to get to know other cultures first-hand, and language is the key to those cultures. It is my pleasure to help students get to know Mandarin, so that they can know China first-hand.

How do you define great teaching?

Great teaching occurs when students are looking at you with curiosity; it occurs when students are trying very hard and struggling, and finally their efforts pay off; it occurs when students and teachers work together to produce that pay-off moment.

Describe your classroom in five words
:
My classroom is a comfortable, fun, challenging, organized, and loving place to learn.

What is your favorite thing about the Lower School?

My favorite thing about the Lower School is that it is an organized and well-planned place to work, which provides students a safe and comfortable place to grow up. It goes beyond the imparting of knowledge from books; what’s more, it creates this great atmosphere in which everybody loves and helps each other, and in which we are happy together.
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Berwick Academy

Berwick Academy, situated on an 80-acre campus just over one hour north of Boston, serves 550 students, Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 and Post-Graduates. Berwick students are from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and several countries. Deeply committed to its mission of promoting virtue and useful knowledge, Berwick Academy empowers students to be creative and bold. Berwick strives to graduate alumni who shape their own learning, take risks, ask thoughtful questions, and come to understand and celebrate their authentic selves.