Sending Your Kids to Chinese School as ABC/ABT Parents ft. Ada Tseng & Crystal Hsia | EP22

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Many of us joke that we attended Chinese School every weekend for over a decade and still graduated at the Mandarin level of a third-grader in Taiwan or China. Three hours a week was never going to keep up with full-time immersion, and the language we did learn rarely grew past childhood basics. Now that a lot of us are parents ourselves, that joke hits differently. We're suddenly looking at our own kids and feeling a wave of anxiety about how to pass on the language and culture, especially when our own Mandarin isn't where we want it to be.

That's the conversation we're having on this episode with two guests who bring really different perspectives on Chinese School. Ada Tseng is a journalist, host of the Saturday School Podcast, and an American-Born Taiwanese (ABT) mom who's now bringing her own two daughters back to the same kind of weekend Chinese School she attended growing up. Crystal Hsia, our Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression partner teacher, has spent over a decade working inside Chinese Schools across California as a teacher, administrator, teacher trainer, and curriculum developer.

Why ABC and ABT Parents Keep Coming Back

For Ada and a lot of parents like her, going back to Chinese School isn't really just about the kids. It's about the whole family. She explained that many American-Born Chinese (ABC) and American-Born Taiwanese (ABT) feel that their Mandarin isn't where they wish it was. So when she sends her kids to Chinese School, she's really showing up alongside them, hoping that she'll pick some things up for herself along the way.

In the episode, Ada shares what it's like to sit in the back of her daughters' Chinese School class as a parent, what she regrets about her own experience as a kid, and why doing this together as a family has shifted the whole dynamic for her.

What's Different About Chinese School Today

Crystal walks us through how much has actually changed since the 90s and early 2000s. Classes today aren't grouped by age the way they used to be, and the structure has been refined into much more specific tracks based on each kid's level and background. There are even special classes tailored for ABCs/ABTs, for example, which is really different from the experience most of us had growing up.

The other big shift is in the spirit. Instead of strict discipline and rote memorization, schools now lean much harder into making the experience something kids actually enjoy. Crystal explains why that change had to happen, and what's behind the rise of 混齡 / 混龄 / hǔn líng / mixed-age classrooms.

Lower the Pressure, Build the Connection

The thing Ada kept coming back to is that ABC and ABT parents are often really anxious about how to teach their kids Mandarin, especially when their own Chinese isn't very strong. Both her and Crystal's advice is to lower the pressure, on yourself and on your kids.

A big part of that is reframing what Chinese School is even for in the first place. Crystal sees it less as a place to acquire language and more as a 社群中心 / shè qún zhōng xīn / community hub where both the kids and their parents can find other people like them. In the episode, she shares why building that connection matters more than how many characters they walk out with on a given Saturday, and what parents do at home often moves the needle most.

Key Vocab From This Episode

混齡 / 混龄 | hǔn líng (mixed-age)

社群中心 | shè qún zhōng xīn (community hub / community center)

Want to Speak Mandarin With Your Kids at Home?

This conversation is exactly why Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression has a whole module dedicated to Fertility & Parenting, which Crystal helped create. The lessons walk you through morning routines, dinner table conversations, helping your kids work through big feelings, setting boundaries with your own parents about your parenting style, and a lot more. If you're an ABC or ABT parent who wants to start using more Mandarin with your kids day-to-day, this module was built for you.

Not sure if it's for you yet? Try a free lesson first and see what it feels like to learn Mandarin through content that actually matters.

Get the Full Transcript

Want the full transcript of this episode in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, and English with key vocab highlighted? Download the EP1 transcript for free here. If you find it useful, check out our Podcast Transcript Membership to unlock all episode transcripts.

You can find Ada's book Breaking Into New Hollywood: A Career Guide to a Changing Industry on Amazon, listen to her Saturday School Podcast on Spotify, and follow her on Instagram at @adatseng88.

If you're interested in working with Crystal as a private student, you can learn more on her website at crystalmandarin.com.If you liked this episode, come hang out with us on Instagram and TikTok where we post clips from every episode plus other Mandarin learning content. And if you haven't already, subscribe to the podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts so you don't miss the next one.