Mandarin Archives

Nathan Ashe

August 23, 2023

Nathan Ashe is a fourth-year medical student at Weill Cornell. He has experience teaching and tutoring humanities and sciences: among other experiences, he has led seminars on science fiction and on the essay at Princeton, as well afterschool classes in neuroscience at public middle schools in New York City.

Whether tutoring for standardized tests or school subjects, Nathan aims to foster a deep understanding of the material, rather than just test-oriented shortcuts. He particularly enjoys teaching math and science to students who have previously found these subjects unapproachable by filling in knowledge gaps and by building intuition through practice and discussion.

He has experience tutoring math (geometry, algebra, precalculus, and statistics), biology, physics, chemistry, English literature, world and U.S. history, and elementary Mandarin Chinese, as well as the Lower and Upper ISEE, SAT, and ACT. Further, he works with students on essay writing skills for school subjects and applications by helping with brainstorming and outlining and by walking students through detailed feedback on drafts.

Nathan’s education is the product of excellent professors and tutors, whose best practices he incorporates into his own teaching approach. He received a BA in English at Columbia University, and a MA and PhD in English at Princeton University, where he studied Victorian literature and the history of science. He then attended a one-year science program at Bryn Mawr College for students entering medicine from non-traditional career paths.

In his limited free time, Nathan enjoys rock climbing and reading speculative fiction.

Bobby Irven

September 7, 2020

Bobby Irven is a private tutor who specializes in Mandarin Chinese, ESL, the humanities, virtual learning, research and special education. He is also proficient in a variety of digital design and communications software, as well as recently leveraging online and application based tools to collaborate, learn and communicate. He has traveled and worked around the world, and currently works at a large international nonprofit doing communications for the poverty eradication team. He has over a decade of experience working with students of all ages in small classroom settings and private tutoring.

Bobby Irven earned his B.A. in Chinese Studies and Political Science at Rutgers University, and then continued his education, receiving an M.A. in International Development from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, and conducted his thesis research in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

He is passionate about bringing a unique teaching style to each student interaction in order to ensure no one is left behind, and has worked with a wide variety of students, from recently arrived refugees to children with special needs. Bobby Irven loves combining new or alternative resources to complement traditional methods. This includes sessions or a focus on executive functioning: ensuring students are using the tools, technology and resources available to succeed in and out of the classroom.

When he is not traveling around the world to various work field sites or helping his students, Bobby enjoys playing competitive volleyball, advocating for social justice, scuba diving, and learning new languages and cultures. You might even catch him in a dance class or two!

Nancy Zhang

January 14, 2019

Nancy Zhang graduated with a B.A. from Vassar College with General Honors and Departmental Honors in Chinese Language and Literature, as well as French and Francophone Studies. She was also awarded the Yin-Lien C. Chin Prize for her senior project: an English-to-Chinese translation of “Golden Child,” a play by David Henry Hwang. During her undergraduate career, Nancy received a Fulbright-Hays Scholarship to study abroad in Beijing for one semester through the ACC Intensive Language and Culture Program at Minzu University. She returned two summers later to complete a Chinese teachers training program at the K-12 Teachers Institute.

Nancy began her teaching career upon graduation, starting at a sixth through twelfth grade preparatory school in West Hartford, Connecticut where she taught Chinese, served as a middle school academic advisor, and coached the middle school squash team. She also worked closely with the school’s Department of Diversity and Cultural Competency to advance the social justice and equity curriculum.

From there, Nancy moved on to work at another private school in Westport, Connecticut where she continued to teach Chinese to middle and high schoolers, and also had the opportunity to design an independent study high school French literature course. In her second year, Nancy served on a committee that oversaw the school’s reaccreditation process through CAIS (Connecticut Association of Independent Schools). This opportunity allowed her to develop a deep understanding of the various departments and division levels that contribute to the operations and success of a private school. In her third year there, in response to a lack of such a course, Nancy piloted a Health and Wellness class for seventh through ninth graders. She is currently in her fourth year at this school, and has branched out to working with five to seven year old students in subjects such as Science and Reading.

Nancy enjoys working with students of all ages, and is passionate about developing students’ self-awareness, compassion, and empathy in addition to academic pursuits. She has also provided in-person private tutoring as well as Skype e-tutoring sessions in subjects such as Chinese, Reading Comprehension, Writing Mechanics, and Executive Functioning and Organization Skills.

Shuhan Hu

November 3, 2013

Shuhan Hu graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rutgers University with a B.A. in English Literature and Political Science. She is a native Mandarin Chinese speaker who was born and raised in the United States. She grew up in an environment enriched with the Chinese language and culture, however Shuhan took her Chinese language skills to a higher level by immersing herself in Chinese culture, living in Taipei, Taiwan for two years. There she studied Mandarin Chinese at ShiDa University and worked as a private English tutor.

She taught elementary through advanced level English to native Chinese speakers in Taiwan and has had students of all different ages ranging from Pre-K to young professionals.

Shuhan Hu believes in an interactive classroom, so whether it is a private tutoring session between tutor and student or a large class of 20 kids, she believes communication and a strong connection between the teacher and student is imperative to a successful learning experience. This is why she takes the time to build a relationship with each of her students, learning how they learn and what they are passionate about. She caters each of her lessons to the needs and interests of her students incorporating activities such as games and arts and crafts for younger students and a diverse selection of novels, articles and short films for older students.

Regardless of the specific topic of the lesson, Shuhan always integrates critical thinking, note taking, reading comprehension, and brainstorming skills into each lesson. She believes these are essential skills to have both in the classroom and out of the classroom in every day life. Although acquiring efficient study skills is important for a successful academic career, she believes pure rote memorization of vocabulary words is not conducive to actual learning. Learning is a fun and dynamic activity!

Shuhan is passionate about languages and different cultures; she loves to travel to learn as much as possible. She started off early in life, traveling to France in high school on a student exchange program. Living abroad for a mere three months, she experienced her first culture shock, learning just how diverse the world truly is. After France, Shuhan continued with her interest in different cultures and languages by focusing her thesis on the political climate of South Africa. She studied abroad in South Africa where, she learned Afrikaans and the Zulu language as well. In her spare time, Shuhan likes to discover new books, music and artists alike.

Nathan Ashe

Nancy Zhang

Shuhan Hu

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