After last new year Qin Tian began her job as a Mandarin teacher at Middleton High School. In this article we hope to help you get to know the new teacher a little bit better.
Following in her grandfather’s footsteps,Tian decided to become a teacher both for the career’s stability, and for cultural reasons,
“My grandpa actually was a math teacher, so he always inspired me,” Tian said.
Tian and her husband immigrated to America to be closer to her husband’s hometown of Stoughton, Wisconsin. They met during her sophomore year of college and stayed in China until their daughter was four.
Before MHS, Tian worked in the Verona Area School District, where she was named Wisconsin Chinese Language Teacher of the year by the Wisconsin Association of Chinese Language Teachers in 2024. She decided to move to MHS because of the steadier enrollment in the school’s Mandarin program.
“I hope in the future, we can have some collaboration with [the] Verona Mandarin program,” Tian said.
Going into the next semester, Tian is very excited to teach not only the Mandarin language, but also Chinese culture. Specifically, she shared her enthusiasm for teaching about the Spring Festival, commonly known as Chinese New Year.
“A big part of teaching language is the culture,” Tian said.
Tian also shared with us what she does outside of school.
“I don’t do much all my weekend, but I like to cook and watch a movie with my family,” Tian said.
When asked if she could choose any other profession, Tian said she would like to be a tour guide. She cited her love for food and her desire to try different cuisines from various cultures.
“I could travel so many like interesting, cool places, experience the different cultures,” Tian said.
So far, Tian loves MHS. She feels welcomed by both the students and staff, enjoys the school culture and the balance between freedom and firmness.
Tian shares that she would love to collaborate with the Chinese Culture Club and her former Verona students in the future to hold more events at MHS. Overall, Tian is a great addition to MHS faculty and we are excited to see what she has planned for Mandarin students and the MHS community.
