Chinese Classes In San Francisco Near Me

Donna Chow: My second quarter at EM has been a seamless continuation of the great experience I had in Q1. One of the best things this quarter was the opportunity to continue learning alongside my classmates from the previous term. It felt like we were not just learning Mandarin, but also about each other's journeys and experiences.I'm particularly grateful for our teacher, who remained consistent from Q1. Her dedication to understanding us individually and incorporating our daily experiences and stories into the lessons added a personal touch that made learning Mandarin even more engaging. By tailoring the lessons to resonate with our lives outside the classroom, she not only made the content more relatable but also fostered a deeper connection with the language.One of the standout aspects of the class is the attention each student receives. Despite the diverse backgrounds and learning paces, our teacher ensures that everyone gets an equal amount of attention and support. This personalized approach has been invaluable, especially considering the amount we've been learning in Q2.Overall, my experience in the second quarter at EM has been fantastic, and I'm eagerly looking forward to what Q3 has in store. With such a supportive environment and dedicated teacher, I'm confident that my Mandarin skills will continue to improve.

Ryan Grant: ExcelMandarin is THE school to choose for learning Mandarin. Not only do they have unlimited resources to utilize, they also have great, patient, competent teachers that are there to assist you with the quickness, displaying high levels of patience especially when dealing with someone like me, who asks a million questions😂. Spanning worldwide with native teachers, ExcelMandarin embodies the Asian culture, while simultaneously given you a family like environment. This is definitely the school to enroll in for your Chinese speaking journey.

Daniel Crowe: I highly recommend Excel Mandarin to anyone wanting to learn Mandarin. It is without question the best language course I have taken. The emphasis is on speaking and listening rather than rote memorization, which means that students get tons of practice. Class time goes by quickly, so I know I was having fun. Every teacher I've met have been kind, encouraging, and very adept at including grammar and vocab in natural-feeling conversations. I can't wait to continue!

Aidan Rosswood: A phenomenal place to learn Chinese. They keep everything very practical, the teachers are AWESOME at what they do and super encouraging and the class is honestly tons of fun. If youre serious about wanting to learn Chinese i highly recommend Excel Mandarin.

Daniel Raphael Ancheta: I've completed two Quarters now with ExcelMandarin, and as before, they have provided me with an excellent environment to learn Mandarin from the ground up. I've felt my confidence slowly build up over the past few months, and without even realizing it, have become a lot better grasping the language than I thought I would at this stage. Although learning any language is a long and often difficult road, EM has been so incredibly helpful with their staff, resources, and especially teachers. I'm looking forward to seeing just how far they'll take me in my upcoming third and final quarter!

Melanie Kong: Just finished my second quarter at ExcelMandarin and have made so much progress. As someone who never successfully learned another language, it's super empowering to be able to have basic conversations with native Mandarin speakers in 6 months. The teachers and community are the best!!

Lauren Khoo: It’s been such a fun, enriching, and effective experience to learn mandarin with ExcelMandarin. I’ve just finished 2 terms and I’m excited to begin my third. I’m impressed with the progress I’ve made in a relatively short time and the enjoyment I get out of every class. The instructors truly care personally about everyone’s goals and progress and they foster a fun class environment. Between the homework and the classes multiple times a week, it is a time commitment, but it’s worth it if you want to learn!

Toby Kurniawan: Having just finished Q2, I can definitely say I feel prepared to continue on my mandarin learning journey, even beyond the scope of EM! Would highly recommend EM for anyone looking for some structure when beginning learning Chinese, as the fundamentals EM gives you really gives you an understanding of not just what to learn, but certain structures and patterns that you’ll hear super often.If you’re hesitant to try Q1, I’d say just go for it!

Daniel Cook: With Q2 finished and Q3 upcoming, I've learned Mandarin faster than I thought would be possible. These guys are the real deal! I have to balance learning Mandarin with my full time job, and this course allows me to do that with the online format. The 4:1 student/teacher ratio during activities is what really pushes EM above regular in-person classroom instruction; everyone gets a chance to speak, listen, and be corrected. Every class and activity is a lot of fun, and the teachers are so friendly! There is no magic bullet to learn the language, and you'll have to spend your own time outside of class studying material/doing homework, but they put you on exactly the path you need to be able to communicate as fast as possible. Dooooo iiiiiit, you won't regret it!

Vy Tran: . For many folks looking to achieve conversational fluency but not worry about the time commitment associated with learning how to write Chinese, this is a great course for expediting vocabulary building.From the materials to the class exercises, it's clear a lot of attention went into all the little details. Materials present information in a very clear, visually effective

Harris: Just finished my 2nd quarter studying with ExcelMandarin and it continues to exceed my expectations. I literally discovered ExcelMandarin through google maps reviews just like the one I’m now writing lol. So take it from me that EM is the real deal!Compared to all the other options out there to learn mandarin, many of which I tried unsuccessfully, I think the biggest differentiators are the teachers and the modern structured approach to learning. There are three live zoom classes per week in which you practice a new grammar structure and set of vocab through exercises with your classmates. The ability to practice is a structured way with the guidance and support of live teachers is game changing when learning a language. It also helps that the classes are small, only 3-4 students per teacher. The teachers are native Mandarin speakers with clear passions for teaching. Eco, Darren, Tim, and Eva especially are outstanding. They’re always so friendly and supportive, and you can really tell they enjoy what they’re doing, which truly makes the classes so much more enjoyable as a student.After two quarters I can pretty confidently understand and even converse with my mom and in-laws, all of whom are native speakers. Most importantly, these classes have given my the confidence and solid foundation to continue my mandarin speaking journey. ExcelMandarin has been truly worth the cost and time I’ve put into it. I would encourage anyone wanting to learn mandarin to give it a try!

Vinoo Ganesh: Just finished Q2 with EM, and as always, it's been a great experience. The teachers do a great job explaining the nuances of Mandarin in an accessible way. Furthermore, the community is exceptional from a support and motivation perspective. Q2 provided the same standard of quality as Q1 - which I've come to expect with EM. Highly recommend this school!

Christopher Allen: Currently studying here and I just finished Q2 of their fluency series. I'm so happy to have better listening skills and be more comfortable starting conversations with Mandarin speakers. The class load is a bit heavy. Classes are three times per week and you typically have homework on the off days. But I was ready for immersion on this level. It's so worth it to initially learn mostly on your own and then practice/discuss questions with teachers and classmates. They are conducted fully on Zoom so you don't have to worry about commuting. The teachers are very patient and supportive and I always left class giggling or smiling. The main focus of the program is on speaking and listening skills so you don't need to panic about characters but you are more than welcome to use and learn them along with the course. I'm just starting to immerse myself in the broader Excel Mandarin community. This place is so much more than just classes!

Bobby Liu-Lupo: I just finished my second quarter and looking forward to the 3rd! All I have to say is that ExcelMandarin has set the bar extremely high for other potential teachers that want to join the organization. Eco, Eva, Tim, and Darren are seriously second-to-none and are some of the most effective language teachers I’ve had in my experience learning other languages. Not only are they able to explain complex concepts in a clear and concise manner, but their ability to connect with students and create a comfortable learning environment is truly what sets EM apart from other language learning courses. I love the fact that they create a supportive atmosphere that encouraged students to ask questions, share their thoughts and participate in class discussions, which in turn made the learning environment engaging and stimulating.

Amanda Lim: I've just finished Q2 and am getting ready to start Q3 and can honestly say, after 17 years in a relationship with a native mandarin speaker and numerous other attempts at learning the language, this is the first time that I am able to actually converse with my husband and his family in mandarin, thanks to ExcelMandarin! The class teaches a good balance of vocab, sentence structures and complex grammar to give students the confidence to communicate effectively. Class sizes are small so every student has opportunity to speak in class and improve their language skills with the very patient teachers. It's somewhat of a time commitment, but the teachers are understanding of professional commitments and give many opportunities to make up homework or watch missed lectures. Overall an excellent experience with EM! Highly recommend to anyone wanting to jump into conversational mandarin within a quick timeline.

Muffin Muaddib: After completing the second series of lessons with ExcelMandarin, I would like to reiterate my complete satisfaction with the learning course.They are able to provide small group language lessons in a engaging manner that also emphasizes communication. I like the increased rigor of meeting 3 times a week but unlike in my previous college courses they lessons are not lectures and revolve around communicating at the right level to learn.

Livvie Lin: courses because even though I grew up going to Chinese school, the language never really cemented for me. I didn't speak Mandarin at home growing up, but lately I've been wanting to communicate more with Mandarin speakers in my family and community. I've now taken Q1 and Q2 with EM, and I'm very impressed with my progress so far. In Q1, I learned a lot of new vocabulary and key sentence structures. In Q2, I learned more complex grammar and vocabulary that's been very practical for discussing everyday life. I am now able to express my opinions more and talk about food, hobbies, and travel, which is not only useful, but also fun to practice.EM classes are a fairly significant time commitment

Maria Viitaniemi: I just finished my 2nd quarter studying here! It’s been great! The class sizes are small and class time is used mostly for practicing and reviewing concepts that we study in the homework. The emphasis on speaking in class has really allowed me to improve!I also appreciate how much the teachers care about our learning. They are always quick to answer any questions we post in our class slack. They also offer weekly office hours and occasionally help organize in-person meet-ups!If you are looking to improve your speaking and listening skills in a conversational setting, this is the best class I’ve taken!

Gigi Irwin: , and Halloween and dinosaurs

Judy Liu: , the songs they learn to sing, and quotes from all the kids in the class.My kids' Mandarin has improved by leaps and bounds, and the teachers have fostered their love of learning it. The cutest thing is when the two of them randomly break out into a Chinese song together. My son just passed the SFUSD language assessment with full marks, thanks to the teachers' careful preparation. He went into the assessment completely comfortable and confident. When trying to consider elementary schools for my son, he adamantly wanted to join a dual language program. I think this really speaks to the educational philosophy of Fun with Mandarin and its fostering of love for learning. She has also been very good about notifying us about the procedures for applying to elementary school, and follows up to see if we have questions, and to make sure we know all the necessary requirements.My daughter also loves the school, and on days when she is feeling ill, she practically has a meltdown when told she has to stay home from school. Regarding behaviors such as meltdowns, I have been impressed with how well Bin Bin socializes the kids, and disciplines them in a loving, gentle, and firm way.Regarding covid, they had quickly created clear and safe Covid 19 policies, requiring kids to have temperature checks, wear masks, creating plans for pickup procedures to minimize contact. I have felt that my kids are as safe as they possibly could be.Fun with Mandarin is clearly a labor of love for Bin Bin, who was previously a Presidio Knolls teacher. I am continuously impressed with how talented she is at teaching, her boundless and positive energy, attention to detail and dedication to the kids. We feel very lucky that our kids are able to have such an experience.

Ray Yeung: We were very grateful for the support we received from FWM throughout the pandemic. Through the weekly virtual class, our son continued to maintain a sense of community with the preschool, which helped tremendously when he returned to in person. Our now four and a half year old son, who tends to be on the slow to warm up side, easily transitioned back into FWM after not attending for a year. This really speaks to how comfortable he feels being at FWM. He has grown tremendously in his confidence and language skills. We also notice a marked improvement in his fine motor skills since being back in person.

Rachel Sauer: and I can't say enough wonderful things about them.  We originally chose FWM because they accept younger children and our daughter missed the age cutoff for our older child's school

Hannah Mo: I used to pick up and drop off my niece from FWM and was amazed by the consistent positive energy and vibe, warmth and professionalism there. All of the staff at FWM I encountered are so friendly, professional, and seem to have a natural passion and enthusiasm for the kids and their jobs. My niece always looked forward to going to school and constantly talked about how much she loves her friends and teachers there. I definitely highly recommend this place!

Ian Bronson: Our son began attending Fun with Mandarin in September of 2020 and we have been delighted with our experience since then.Bin Bin Laoshi, Ben Laoshi and all of the other teachers work incredibly hard and with tremendous creativity to include, engage and educate our son. He loves going to school, and is always smiling when he walks back through the door coming home.The school has coached us on potty training and has been very helpful in providing tips and advice on parenting in general. When we have behavior challenges or are stumped ourselves, they have been an open book resource for us to consult. I love that we can work with experts to help us navigate the challenges of having a VERY energetic and demanding little boy.At this point, our son could open an art gallery with all of the wonderful drawings and sculptures he has made with the school. We love the daily report of activity at school, and despite COVID we have enjoyed the contact we have had with other parents. Being from a non-Chinese family, we feel very welcome and included. We love that he is learning Mandarin, and it has not impacted his English speaking at all. He speaks both languages very well at almost 4 years old.The school has helped us as we begin to navigate future schools as well. They have an extensive resource list to find schools, and contacts at each of them.One of the best parts of living in our area is the wonderful early childhood education available here. Fun with Mandarin is like the cherry on top for us. We are very grateful for this special place.

Shannon Bronson: I am writing this review to express my heartfelt appreciation for Fun with Mandarin School. It’s hard to express the gratitude our family feels for the gifted and caring Teachers, engaging and creative curriculum and inclusive community feel of this school.Our son has been attending since September 2020, and sending him here has been a huge blessing in our lives. It’s been a huge stabilizer for us during the chaos of the pandemic.Every day my son proudly shows me his latest art project as he comes joyfully out the door at pick up. The projects are so cool and imaginative, it’s really blown my mind to see what treasure you can make with paper plates, coffee filters, paint and popsicle sticks. They bring so much delight into our home, we have an art gallery going. I am trying to encourage Teacher Ben and BinBin to create a book of the innovative projects they have invented for the kids!What I notice even more is that these projects are tied in to curriculum themes that structure the days and months. The concepts that are introduced in art class continue into the day and provide lots of cohesion for the kids to learn.I’ve watched our son learn about the seasons, food, holidays, and different useful plants in the 6 months he’s been attending. Having taught children myself, I know how much hard work goes into developing a consistently stimulating and fun curriculum as Teachers Ouyang, Lei, BinBin and Ben have!I have also enjoyed the daily pictures and written report of our sons activities that we get every day at pick up. I get to see our son having a blast at school, smiling, laughing and playing with the other children and teachers. It’s nice to have the staff as a touch point for parenting advice and as experienced professionals. They also keep me updated on the San Francisco school system and seem to want to help prepare us for an eventual transition into a great fit.The food at the school looks consistently nutritious and delicious too!Of course we are thrilled that our son is learning Mandarin! We love the multicultural perspective he is getting of the world. He is learning about Chinese holidays and traditions as well as Western holidays. We value the diversity in the kids, and are so grateful that he is being exposed to so many different and enriching experiences each day. It’s been school in the time of COVID, so being able to socialize with parents has been limited unfortunately. That said, parents that I have crossed paths with have been friendly, warm and open to chatting in the small windows of opportunity that we can.TBH, we feel kind of jealous of him sometimes that he gets to go here! I totally would if I could! I often say I wish I could go to school with him! Thank you to all the Teachers, families and kids at Fun with Mandarin!

Jessie S.: and fosters an environment that is truly immersive. We are a split language household at home

Wendy Lin: from the care of grandparents to a preschool environment. The healthy hot lunches that are provided make life much easier for me and have helped encourage healthy eating habits for my son outside of school, which is every mother's dream. I'm also a fan of the routine updates we get on how the kids are doing. We get daily reports on nap times, what he ate, and general behavior, bi-weekly reports on classroom curriculum and the learning that is going on, and monthly photos/videos of the kids in action.We started at FWM 4 years ago with our first child and now our second one is attending FWM as well. What makes us the happiest is the progress we see in our children's all-around development. Whether it's social-emotional development, language development, or academic readiness, we're always amazed and proud of the changes we see in our children. I know the teachers at FWM are instrumental to the growth of our children and are great collaborators in helping with their development.

Carlson Cheng: Our daughters continue to receive compliments on their fluency in Mandarin and how much knowledge they have overall. Our daughter's Mandarin Immersion kindergarten teacher recently asked us where she learned her Mandarin from as she was completely impressed with her. We credited Fun With Mandarin and their staff for our daughter's performance. It is well known that Fun with Mandarin does not miss a step when it comes to preparing your child for his/her success in school. The dedication they have to their students is apparent and noticed by other schools, our pediatrician, and friends!

Natalie Monk: and it's been a great experience. We do not speak Mandarin at home, and she is constantly teaching us new vocabulary and Chinese songs! We've loved having her learn a second language at such a young age, but for us, the real value has been in the social skills that Bin Bin and the other teachers have instilled. The school follows the Emilia Reggio philosophy

Lan To: As a teacher, Binbin is a naturally gifted teacher. As someone who work closely with preschool teacher on a daily basis, my first impression of a good preschool teacher is someone who always gets down to the children's eye level when talking to them. Binbin always does so. It's a habit that is so ingrained in her that she even kneels down when talking to adults. Another quality in a preschool teacher that isn't able to be trained through any teacher training program is good intuition. Binbin is very intuitive about each child's style, personality, and needs. She is able to adjust her style and approach to meet each individual child at his or her comfort level. Both of our sons have different personality. Our four-year-old is extroverted, verbal, and social but somewhat emotional. Binbin was able to foster his strength and engage him in discussions that cater to his language ability at the same time working with him on regulating his frustration. Our two-year-old is much more introverted and slow to warm up. With our younger son, Binbin takes a slower approach to give him the time and space, at the same time providing him with much care and special attention to adjust to the school when he first started. Binbin was able to work with us and provided additional accommodations, including giving him his favorite snacks from home to, allowing him to carry my shirt and his "stuffy" from home for comfort. Our younger son does not quickly become comfortable in a new setting or with new people without us around. The fact that by the third day attending the school, he allowed Binbin and the teacher to receive him and hold him at drop off and there was a significant decrease in his crying throughout the day, is a testament to how much attention and comfort he received from all the adults.In addition to being intuitive, Binbin also has a deep understanding of child development and she applies this by setting very developmentally appropriate expectations on the students and challenging their skills at the appropriate moment. Our four-year-old started at FWM when he was 20 months old. When he first started the program, the teachers would write his name on his art work and he was expected to make attempt to trace it. When he turned three, instead of expecting him to trace his name, they started expecting him to write his name. This approach of exposure through natural opportunities, as well as imposing developmentally appropriate expectation to foster the skill, was how our son learned how to write his name effortlessly.A good quality and enriching preschool program is one that does not keep the children busy with reproducible online worksheets. Binbin's curriculum is enriching and emphasizes learning through exploration and natural opportunities rather than drill-and-kill. Binbin's curriculum include a daily art project that allows the students to freely create when provided with different types of mediums. Through this we were able to see our son's natural skill progression from just scribbling freely on a piece of paper at 20-months old, to simple circles, to simple stick figures, and now different abstracts shapes and figures that illustrate his ideas at four years of age.Lastly, what is most comforted for us as parents is that Binbin is highly involved in the school and she is so detailed-oriented. She is the kind of teacher that people in my field would say "have eyes in back of her head" because nothing escapes her eyes throughout the day at school. If there is ever an incident at school, which is rare because the staff is always so present supervising the students, Binbin is always able to give a detail account about what happened. Because she is so detailed-oriented and involved, she also always is able to pinpoint areas where the student needs further fostering or encouragement to develop.There is much more we can write about how amazing the program and staff at FWM are. We highly recommend FWM to any parents.

Zaid Kahn: Our Son has been with FWM for 2 years. We are incredibly proud of his mandarin and it is a testiment to BinBin and her amazing school. Both my wife and I do not speak Mandarin at home, my wife speaks a different dialect of Chinese and we also speak different languages but we wanted our son to speak Mandarin. Over the last 2 years we are impressed with how much our son has evolved with his Mandarin. We hear him singing songs at home and he can describe things entirely in Mandarin.BinBin is also a very caring teacher. When we go to pick up our son after school she is present to give us information on how he did during the day and pays attention to detail on his behavior, eating habits, naps etc. I am also impressed with how BinBin has a theme every month that focuses on things like Planets, Earth, Plants etc that teaches the children to care for the environment. They also take small field trips that help teach children about community and be thankful to people who provide service to community. Our son also developed some great friendships with other children during his time at FWM. FWM also has a fun art program. Our son developed a love for art and looks forward to his art projects at FWM. He has learned to draw a lot and also build art objects. We also like how good manners are taught at the school, conflicts between kids are resolved quickly and sorry cards are written so kids show compassion.If we didn't have to leave San Francisco we would have loved to see our son complete his final year and we are certain he would have tested well. We are very fortunate that his mandarin in the next immersion pre-school will be very good because his foundation is solid. We highly recommend FWM to any parents looking for a mandarin immersion program. We think FWM is the best in San Francisco with good student/teacher ratio and a caring and nurturing staff for any child's development.

Jennie Liu: Our son was at Fun With Mandarin for almost two years, and he had a wonderful experience. We were so impressed with the level of care, love, nurturing and child-specific attention that was given to him. He developed close bonds with the teachers there and was very much enriched by the curriculum and activities. His Mandarin is excellent, even attending only 2-3 days a week. Binbin and the other teachers are amazing; they truly care about the kids' development and well being. Binbin is also extremely responsive and receptive to any concerns you have and will take the time to discuss anything with you. Her level of energy is incredible, and she is so devoted and dedicated to the kids and the program. A lot of time and thought goes into making each day enriching, stimulating, and educational.Our son is very high energy, emotional and intense. Binbin and the other teachers, through their perceptive care and constant positive reinforcement, have taught him how to play well with others and work together in a group. He has developed a love for arts and crafts through the daily art activities they engage in, which he always brought home proudly. Through each theme period, our son has learned so much, about the seasons, different holidays, family, helping out at home, dinosaurs, etc.Our son has truly flourished during his time at FWM. We were so sad to leave after we moved out of SF! FWM is a unique and special place, and I feel very fortunate our son had this experience.

Patricia Liu: to both comprehend and express herself in Mandarin. She also has the opportunity to participate in varied and stimulating activities like yoga and music classes and field trips within the community.I really want to stress that first and foremost, Binbin Laoshi is a true educator who has helped not only to support my daughter's language development, but also social and emotional skills. She is extremely detail-oriented and thorough, as well as a wonderful communicator who provides valuable feedback at the end of every day to ensure that we can help reinforce behaviors and learning at home and vice versa. It has been so helpful to be on the same page as she has helped with major transitions including starting a new school, potty training, and now introducing a younger sibling into our home.I would gladly recommend FWM to any parent!

Chris Sadler: , we highly valued 3 things. The first: Mandarin immersion. We really wanted an environment where our children could get that experience since neither myself nor my husband speak it, but we wanted them to learn it. Second: a nurturing environment for our children no matter what strengths and interests they have. Third: an environment that would help our children grow into compassionate, kind, considerate people. The teaching philosophies at FWM and the priorities of Binbin and her teachers align perfectly with our values, and FWM has exceeded all our expectations.Our oldest is a very high energy three and a half year old. FWM provides constructive outlets for his energy. He enjoys learning a lot about specific topics that interest him and Binbin does a great job of both getting him excited about the topics they are discussing in school as well as giving him opportunities to go deep on those topics. For example, they just finished a unit about the solar system. We are blown away by how much he knows. He can pick out planets at random and tell us which one it is both in English and in Mandarin and tell us what is special about each planet. Binbin communicates what the children are learning about at school in bi-weekly newsletters and at pick-up which makes it easy for us as parents to continue the lessons at home.We're constantly amazed at how quickly his language skills and vocabulary are growing. He speaks in paragraphs in both Mandarin and English, and we obviously can't take any credit for his Mandarin skills.FWM was also instrumental in helping us potty train him. Life has certainly gotten a lot easier now that he's potty trained!Our youngest is also flourishing at FWM even though he has only been there a few months. Binbin has great intuition for his strengths and weaknesses and really understands that while he is constantly following his brother around, that he is a very different child and ensures he follows his own interests and nurtures his personality. We've seen him mature dramatically and go from speaking random words to complete sentences since he started at FWM. Just tonight, he taught me how to say butterfly in Chinese. Both boys are excited in the morning to go to school, what more could a parent want!We highly recommend FWM and believe it's a great place for our children to grow and mature and prepare for the next step, especially if these three things are as important to you as they are to us.