What We Do
- Teach Chinese language in an interactive environment
- Introduce Chinese culture through activities
- Teach Chinese calligraphy and brush painting
Meet the Teachers
Jue
Pu came from Shanghai (People's Republic of China) in 1989. She got her nursing degree in China. She is a mother of a 19-year-old daughter and now she works at a dental office. She loves kids, likes to read, cook, and play her violin. In her spare time, she likes to practice Chinese calligraphy. She is so excited to have this opportunity to share her mother language to the others. Her big dream is to someday she can speak Chinese to Americans as well as she speaks English.
Liming
Liming is from Taiwan and is a native Mandarin speaker. She received a B.S. in Mathematics from Fu-Jun Catholic University in Taipei, and came to United States in 1984 to continue her studies at the University of Iowa. After graduating with an M.S. in actuarial science, Liming worked for several prominent actuarial firms in St. Louis. In 1996, Liming and her family moved to Bainbridge Island. While she continues to work part-time as an actuarial consultant, she has also been heavily involved in numerous volunteer projects and positions, including PTO Treasurer at Ordway Elementary, Sakai Intermediate and Woodward Middle Schools, Registrar for the Bainbridge Island Youth Soccer Club and Northwest Sound Youth Soccer Association, and many projects with St. Cecilia's Catholic Church. She has also taught Chinese language classes at Blakely and Ordway Elementary Schools, and helped organize a foreign language program at Ordway and Sakai. Currently Liming is teaching youth class at Blakely.
Marjorie
Marjorie grew up in southern Taiwan. She received her B.A. in Western Languages and Literature from Providence University in Taichung, Taiwan. She moved to Seattle in 1988 and worked at the UW Dept. of Publications Services until her family moved down to San Diego. She co-authored two Chinese-English language books while living in Japan. Her family moved back to Poulsbo in 2007 after living in Italy for four years. She has been a Chinese translator for the US government since 2001. Currently Marjorie is teaching youth class at Sakai.
Pei
Pei came from Qingdao, China three years ago with her daughter to join her husband who has lived on Bainbridge Island for 20 years. Pei's daughter Sherri just completed BHS and will go to UW Honors Dept. this fall. When Pei first came here, she started to volunteer in the library, then eventually got a job working in the library, which she enjoyed very much. While Pei's working at the library, she also started teaching Chinese. Pei loves teaching, and she's so glad that more and more people are interested in this language. Chinese is more important because it's the most-spoken language in the world, and businesses increasingly need employees fluent in Mandarin. Pei's students and the parents see the trend of this and want to prepare their children for their better future. Pei is really pleased to see how much her students have improved. She is excited to see that BMLC is setting up at the right time. With all the efforts of all of us, she's sure we'll make our school an active, progressive language center. Currently Pei is teaching youth class at Wilkes and adult class at BHS.
Randi
Randi was born in Shanghai, grew up and was educated in Taiwan. She spent over twenty years in Hong Kong raising two sons and owned and managed an international marketing business. Twelve years ago she and her family moved to Bainbridge Island. Randi is passionate about serving her adopted home community and has served on the Public Arts Committee, Island Wood Steering Committee and participated in the Winslow Tomorrow People's Congress. She initiated and chaired the Chinese New Year Celebration on the Island. As a result of this last event, many interested people urged her to set up classes in Mandarin. So, together with three other Chinese ladies - Liming, Ju and Pei - who generously offered to join her, the Bainbridge Mandarin Learning Center was born. Currently Randi is teaching youth class at Ordway.
Shuang-Chiu
Shuang-chiu is a native Mandarin speaker from Taiwan. After graduating from college, she worked as a news announcer at the Broadcasting Company of China, and at TTV as an assistant program producer. She also taught Mandarin Chinese to American graduate students at the Stanford Center in Taipei. In 1984, Shuang-chiu moved to the United States and married a Seattleite. She and her husband have a son who speaks Mandarin with his mother. A few years after immigrating to the US, Shuang-chiu realized that Chinese culture was an important part of her life, and began her exploration of Chinese Opera. She studied Beijing Opera from two great masters in Hong Kong, and has performed in Washington State, Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. She also sings with a Chinese women’s choir in the Seattle area. Meanwhile, Shuang-chiu works as a voice talent. Her voice has appeared at the Year of China exhibitions at Seattle Art Museum and Seattle Asian Art Museum, and also appears on a series of Cisco products. Before moving to Bainbridge Island in 2009, Shuang-chiu had taught Mandarin at Chong Wa Chinese School and Bellevue College in the Seattle area. Currently she is teaching a pilot Mandarin class at West Sound Academy in Poulsbo.
