你好! I’m Teacher Penny.
I’ve spent more than twelve years helping children fall in love with learning — the last five teaching Mandarin to K-8 students here in Central Ohio.
From Zhuhai to Gahanna — and to your family’s table
I grew up speaking Mandarin and Cantonese, and I found my calling early: helping young children discover language through play. In Zhuhai, China, I became Head of International Language Education at one of the city’s top kindergartens, where I learned what I still believe today — that a five-year-old who is laughing is a five-year-old who is learning.
After moving to Columbus, I earned my Ohio substitute teaching license and joined the Gahanna-Jefferson School District, where from 2021 to 2025 I taught the district’s Chinese language program — more than 100 students across six elementary schools and two middle schools. Along the way I also directed the STEM program at Eagle’s Nest, an afterschool program in New Albany, and substitute-taught for Columbus City Schools.
Those district years taught me how American kids learn Chinese best: short bursts of real conversation, songs they can’t get out of their heads, games with just enough competition, and culture they can touch and taste. In 2026 I founded Columbus Chinese Lessons to bring that same program directly to families — homeschool co-ops, kitchen-table pods, after-school lessons, and school partnerships across Central Ohio.
I can’t wait to meet your family. 期待见到你们!
Qualifications you can verify
Licensed under my legal name, Xiuyi “Penny” Zhao.
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Ohio Substitute Teaching LicenseIssued by the Ohio Department of Education — includes a full state background check (BCI/FBI).
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Teacher Certification — Chinese Ministry of Education (2018)National teaching credential from China’s education authority.
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Mandarin (Putonghua) Proficiency Certification (2017)Certified standard Mandarin pronunciation — what your child will hear and imitate.
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12+ years in education · 5+ years teaching Chinese as a second languageGahanna-Jefferson School District Chinese program (2021–2025, 8 school buildings) · STEM Program Director, Eagle’s Nest, New Albany · substitute teacher, Columbus City Schools · former Head of International Language Education, Zhuhai, China.
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Trilingual: English · Mandarin · CantoneseOne of the few Columbus teachers offering Cantonese as well as Mandarin.
Joyful, communicative, and genuinely sequenced
Language is not a worksheet. In my classes, children spend most of their time using Mandarin — greeting each other, playing games that require real answers, singing, acting out stories, and earning their way through levels they can see and feel proud of.
What a lesson actually looks like: we open with a song and greetings routine, review with a fast-paced game, introduce new words through stories and props, practice in pairs or with me, and close with a culture moment — a festival, a food, a character’s history. Parents get progress notes, and every year we celebrate with a Lunar New Year showcase.
- Age-appropriate pacing for K-2, grades 3-5, and grades 6-8
- Real curriculum with levels, not a drop-in hobby class
- Visible milestones kids work toward
- Culture woven in: festivals, calligraphy, food, stories
Around Columbus & beyond
Come meet me — the first lesson is free
Book a free trial and see for yourself how much fun Mandarin can be.