In 2015 the Mandarin program started at Tarwater Elementary with two classes. Now there are over 300 students learning Mandarin and Chinese. These Tarwater students are Pre-K to 6th grade.

Students seem to like it. Molly loves the Mandarin program because she thinks all of the teachers in the program are really nice and she can meet new people. Elise likes it because she feels good about it and her friends are in it. Jasper likes Mandarin because it’s neat and hard and he likes a challenge. Annika likes it because her family is Chinese, so she is learning so she can keep up with them. I personally like Mandarin because I can learn new stuff and make new friends.

The Mandarin program is so fun that if I were in the English classes, I would be so jealous of the students in the Mandarin program because of how good it is. Even thought we get more homework than other students, I would still transfer to the Mandarin program mainly because of all the exciting activities and projects we do.

Some of Tarwater’s Mandarin program achievements include one of the teachers being named “Arizona’s Language Teacher of the Year.” Students can take their knowledge from this program and apply it when they study Mandarin at other schools in the future. It is also a great achievement to continue the journey with this language so they can apply it to the real world.

The Mandarin program is one big happy family! Everyone knows everyone and they tell each other new information all the time. It helps students in so many ways and, overall, it is a great time!