Ensights Magazine
Faculty Profile: Dr. Andy Kelley
In this issue of Ensights, Ensworth focuses on World Languages teachers. Meet Andy Kelley, Ph.D., High School Chinese Teacher.
List your previous relevant education and work experience.
I lived in China and worked at universities in China through my twenties as I worked on various graduate degrees in Education.
How did you get into teaching? And how did you get into teaching Chinese?
I originally became an English teacher in China because I loved literature and really wanted to go to China and travel to Asia. I had an opportunity to teach literature classes at a college in China and spent my free time traveling around China and other southeast Asian countries (Thailand and Cambodia). This teaching opportunity quickly turned into a language learning adventure for me. I clearly remember my first Chinese language lesson with my first tutor a few weeks after landing in Wuhan, where I learned how to read a train schedule and book my train tickets. Once I could do that, I was off and running, dreaming up and eventually going on countless adventures in China and beyond. My love for the language stemmed from my love of Chinese culture and connection with Chinese people in China. The move from teaching English to Chinese students to teaching Chinese to American students was about passing on the life-changing experience I had in China to young people with backgrounds that were more similar to mine. I was mentored to be a bridge-builder, and that is something I wanted to pass on.
What led you to Ensworth, specifically?
I was living and teaching in China while collecting dissertation data and writing during the 2009-2010 school year. My brother, Jon, then a Technology Specialist at Ensworth, told me about a Chinese teaching position that was opening up. In conversation with him and other leaders on campus, I started to learn more about the school via Skype while living in Tianjin. The early excitement and ability to build something new and innovative in the early years of the High School were highly intriguing to me. The more I talked with leadership about what they were building, the more I wanted to be involved.
How does the study of Chinese positively impact students?
Studying foreign languages, in general, is really good for the brain. Learning how to control and use a new system as a young adult that can allow you to move in the world and connect with people is one of life’s ultimate challenges for those of us that began our lives monolingual.
It also allows students to connect with people different from themselves. Language study can lead to travel and opens doors internationally for work and enjoyment. There is so much depth to Chinese culture: food, music, dance, sport, etc. The ways to get involved are almost endless.
Studying Chinese distinguishes them in the college application process. Usually, only about 50 to 60 students take the AP Chinese exam annually in the state of TN. Ensworth has had as many as 10 of those 50 recently.
The Ensworth China Trip (2013, 2014, 2017, and 2019) is my very favorite thing. It allows us to see two very different urban centers in China: Beijing and Zhengzhou (a central China hub of commerce and transportation). It also allows us to explore off-the-beaten-path sites in China like the oldest Buddhist temple in China, ancient capitals, and some of the most significant historical sites in the world. Watching students put their Chinese into action, bargaining for souvenirs, and ordering food in China has been a big-time highlight of the last ten years.
What are some things about you that people may find interesting?
- While traveling in China my first year, I was able to go to Mt. Everest base camp on the Tibetan side of the mountain.
- My dissertation explored using an American-based social networking site in Chinese English language classes and how social media affected student language learning motivation and identity.
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