Mandarin Academy

It was not an easy decision to write this review seeing all the wonderful thoughts from other parents. Choosing the right school for your child is subjective and highly personal. Unfortunately, this school did not work out for us. Our son joined Mandarin Academy Kindergarten last year and stayed for the entire academic year. When we started, I had full intention of keeping him here from K-​5. However, we were disappointed in several areas and decided to move on.
1. Narrow curriculum — MA emphasize academics such as Chinese language arts and mathematics, and they do this very well. There is almost no focus on other topics like science, arts, music, crafts, social science, etc. MA does offer light classes, but in comparison, it’s more of a checkmark rather than well-​developed program. Also, the school shows little interest in kids’ personal/​social development outside of academics.
2. Teaching method/​philosophy — Ms. Su (Principal and Program Director) has a wealth of teaching experience and have designed aggressive lessons. Their method requires committed learning from students, this means students must be at their best behavior, full attention at all times, and learn at a fast pace. The motto seems to be «I teach. You learn.» There is no room for creativity or alternative learning. Students succeed based on their will-​powers and abilities. For kids who are able to follow along, this is great. For kids who have trouble focusing, not so much. Teaching is an art, and good teachers can inspire the most unwilling child. This is not the case at MA.
3. Staff — The quality of the MA staff was a huge disappointment. I’ll use the school performances as examples. During holidays and graduation, the school puts out shows. The songs, dances, and recital material were somewhat mediocre, but the unacceptable part was that the students were completely disorganized and unable to perform to their full potential. I put the responsibility on teachers, b/​c I’ve seen what dedicated staff can achieve. Our son went to a bilingual preschool (Waha in Santa Clara) that also had numerous performances per year, with kids as young as 2 years old. The older kids (4 – 5 yrs) were spectacular, reciting long poems, songs, and doing complicated dance moves. Off the stage, I witnessed the teachers’ passions — their talents and dedication, their spirits in picking the material, shaping /​choreographing, and training the students. Those teachers’ passion and hard work shine thru the kids. The staff at MA simply did not measure up. They were either unqualified or uninterested, possibly both.
4. Administration — MA is small and relies on volunteers to run its administration work. This is fine, and I actually admire some volunteers who put in so much time and energy (like a full-​time job). Tuition collection and communication can be disorganized at times. Mandatory volunteer work at different events are ill-​planned, sometimes parents show up with nothing to do or not sure what to do. School asks funding/​donation for every little thing, not a big deal but could get annoying.
5. Confined environment — MA leases rooms from the church that has very limited classrooms and outdoor space. There is a kiddie playground set in a tiny fenced area and that’s it. No additional playground or field to run around. There is an indoor gym for rainy days. I think for Kindergarteners this is probably ok, but older kids will feel restrained and have no place to channel their energy.
I gave two stars b/​c as many parents noted, their academics are very strong and they really try their best to get the kids to learn as much as possible. Even if the child lags behind a bit, s/​he will still be way ahead of public schools in math.

There is a reason there is a waiting list for this school. It’s priced much lower than other similar Chinese immersion schools in the south bay, and it’s really good. Class sizes are capped at 15, but we lucked out this year with just 8 in Kindergarten. Everyone knows everyone and it’s as friendly as can be. Our son gets no Chinese exposure at home but he can read and speak it after less than a year there.

After trying a few other mandarin Chinese immersion or bilingual schools in the South Bay, we have hit the jack pot with Mandarin Academy located in Cupertino. My daughter’s fluency in mandarin has dramatically improved since she started attending kindergarten there. The low student/​teacher ratios accommodate for more individualized instruction to address her specific areas that need improvement.
She is also developing important social skills and learning about the Chinese culture. I’m very impressed with the school and how my daughter has thrived there in just one year. She is definitely continuing next year into their 1^st grade class.
For any family looking into Chinese immersion in Silicon Valley, Mandarin Academy should be seriously considered.

Since my husband is a Mandarin speaker and I am not, I have always really wanted our children to be bilingual– not only so they could talk with their grandparents, but also because it is such an important part of the world culture these days. I was a little nervous that their Chinese skills were not developing enough from the limited one-​parent exposure, but not anymore. I first learned about Mandarin Academy by some wonderful accident about a year and a half ago when I received an article sent to me about education. There was an advertisement on the page about immersion education which got me thinking about it for our soon to be kindergarten daughter. I am so thankful that I searched and found such a wonderful Chinese immersion elementary school in Cupertino, which is much closer than I thought and than other farther away schools– great for us since we live in south San Jose. Our daughter absolutely loves to go to school every day, and loves to talk about it even when she’s not there. Her teachers and the staff all genuinely care about her as a person and about what she is learning. We can’t believe how much she has learned (English and Chinese) in just a little over seven months of Kindergarten so far. She has a great time in math and science and art too. We really value the well rounded education she is receiving and are convinced that the immersion method is the way to go. The exposure to another culture that we got to observe in the fabulous Chinese New Year program is also great. I know learning a second language helps the brain to learn everything else better too, but it’s amazing to see the reward for our investment so quickly. She can read and write so many words in Chinese, (and english too) that everyone who sees or hears her speak is quite surprised, she can even talk on the phone with her grandparents in Taiwan without her dad’s help. We were surprised and thrilled the other day when we were in Peet’s Coffee and she paused when passing the SJ Mercury news on the table to read something written in Chinese out loud– not only did she pronounce it correctly, she knew what she read. I’m impressed and I’m looking forward to our son starting in two years so he can join the club. The only thing I’m afraid of now is what they will all talk about that I won’t be able to understand. If only I could go back to kindergarten and do it again…

As an education researcher/​professor and a resident of Cupertino, my husband (who is a veteran public school teacher) and I chose our daughter to attend this school. We didn’t even bother to apply for the lottery for the CLIP program at Meyerholz. Some people thought we were crazy for missing the opportunity, but my husband and I know better from years working as teachers and with teachers.
Our biggest priority for our daughter is finding a safe, nurturing, motivating learning environment, and we strongly believe that best way to have that is in a small class (not with the 30+ students in a typical public school), in which the teachers develop bonds with their pupils over multiple years (and not crammed in one year, as with typical public schools). Our daughter has had the same Chinese and English teachers now for the past two years. Both teachers (Su Laoshi, a very experienced Chinese immersion teacher with strong connections to math; and Mrs. Small, a retired teacher from San Jose Unified School District) adapt their curriculum at the appropriate grade level with added enrichment. For example, my 1^st grade daughter, along with her class, is practicing multiplication of fours in Mandarin and loves to also write sentences and stories in English.
We have been impressed and will continue to have our daughter at this school. When you have the opportunity, please do review the website or visit the school during open house to check it out for yourselves.

Our daughter has been at Mandarin Academy (MA) for nearly two years and we have had a fantastic experience with Lisa Su (lead teacher) and the faculty she has put together. Our daughter knew little to no Chinese prior to beginning the program and can now place an order at a Chinese restaurant (very, very helpful to a daddy who speaks no Mandarin (or any other Chinese dialect for that matter). Being that I don’t speak Mandarin, I was concerned that this would impact my daughter’s ability to complete homework assignments, but this has not been the case. Since MA is designed to support children with little to know Mandarin background, Lisa is very sensitive to her students and therefore scaffolds each student’s assignments to their language level.
In addition to our daughter’s success in Chinese language, she has continued to strongly progress in her English and math skills. She is currently in 1^st grade and already mastering her multiplication facts (while not being pressured by us, her parent’s, to excel in this area). Lisa Su sets high standards for our daughter who rises to each challenge Lisa puts before her.
In conclusion I highly, highly recommend Mandarin Academy to any parent seeking a supportive environment to build and cultivate their child’s academic and social skills while framed in a loving language immersion program.

We first heard about Cupertino’s Mandarin Academy from parents we had met in my daughter’s Chinese immersion preschool in San Jose. They each spoke with enthusiasm about MA’s well-​rounded academic focus, as well as opportunities for parent involvement. We had chosen bilingual kindergarten for our daughter so that she would become fluent in an important world language, but also so that she gain valuable inter-​cultural work skills from an early age. We felt that these advantages would prepare her in the best possible way for the working world she would inherit.
From the beginning, we were encouraged by the student-​teacher ratio (8:1), knowing that our daughter would receive a level of individualized instruction not available at other K-​5 schools. MA teachers are empowered to focus on teaching and learning because the parents take an active role in school administration. Parents also form a close network that helps guide the school’s short– and long-​term goals for the students. The advantages are that every day is productive for the students, and the learning activities are relevant, building on the next to strengthen the problem-​solving capabilities of the class as a whole. My daughter comes home each day with tangible evidence of what she learned, and she proudly explains the significance of the learning activities. The school has helped us to grow our daughter’s social circle, and we as parents rely on the other families for advice, information, and collaborative activities.
In the seven months since joining MA, our daughter’s fluency and communication in Chinese has blossomed. Her reading ability in Chinese is at least on par with her English skills. This is noteworthy because we are not a Chinese-​speaking household. In math and science, her problem solving skills have grown dramatically, along with her creativity and desire to learn. She really loves school and talks about what she plans to do next there.
For parents who are considering Chinese immersion in Silicon Valley, I would encourage you to look into Mandarin Academy as early as possible to get the greatest benefit for your child. This is the most worthwhile investment we have made for our daughter, and we are thrilled as parents to play an active role in the school.

My wife and I attended their open house and was awestruck by the high achievements of their students. Although this is still a fairly new school, all their students are learning material that is at least 2 grades above their current grade level. The students are proficient in mandarin even though their parents don’t speak any mandarin at all. I was extremely impressed with the projects that the teachers have their students do at their grade level and by the curriculum. They have a step by step learning system that they follow which allows children to learn the language quickly and easily. I am so glad I found this school for my child.