I am happy to learn new things and skills

I am a part-time Chinese teacher in the UK, and I particularly enjoy helping students learn Chinese in a practical, engaging and meaningful way. For me, language learning should not be limited to textbooks, vocabulary lists and grammar exercises. A language is something we use to communicate with other people, understand different cultures and manage situations in everyday life. Therefore, I always try to connect what students learn in the classroom with the real world around them. One of my favourite teaching approaches is to use live, real-life examples. Instead of simply teaching students how to say a particular word or sentence, I encourage them to understand when, where and how the expression would actually be used. For example, when teaching numbers, I might create a situation involving shopping, prices or ordering food in a restaurant. Students can practise asking “How much is it?”, understanding prices and responding appropriately. In this way, they are not just memorising vocabulary; they are learning how to use Chinese in a realistic situation. I also like to introduce everyday situations that students may encounter outside the classroom. We might practise ordering drinks in a café, introducing themselves to someone, asking for directions, talking about their hobbies, buying something in a shop or making arrangements with friends. These activities allow students to practise listening, speaking and responding naturally. They also give students the confidence to use Chinese when they meet Chinese-speaking people in their daily lives. Another important part of my teaching is using current events and things that students are already familiar with. For example, I may use a football match, a popular song, a Chinese festival, a news story, a food trend or a social-media topic as the starting point for a lesson. Students are often much more interested when the subject relates to something they already know or care about. It also provides an opportunity to introduce Chinese culture alongside the language. I believe that making mistakes is a natural and important part of learning a language. I therefore try to create a friendly classroom environment where students feel comfortable speaking Chinese, even when their grammar or pronunciation is not perfect. My role is not simply to correct mistakes, but to encourage students to keep trying, learn from those