Most of us have heard of the National Honor Society’s tutoring program, but have you heard of the Mandarin Help Center, which is open to all students across the district? The Mandarin Help Center is known as the 汉语加油站 (Hànyǔ jiāyóu zhàn) in Chinese. 加油站 (jiāyóu zhàn) means gas station, so 汉语加油站 (Hànyǔ jiāyóu zhàn) technically translates to the Mandarin Gas Station. But besides meaning “to get gas”, 加油 (jiāyóu) is also used when cheering people on to, “Keep going!”

The Mandarin Help Center was founded during online school, where many students were struggling to find academic resources. It was also created to generate interest in the Chinese program at Hall because, when middle schoolers have the opportunity to connect with a high schooler taking Chinese, they not only get valuable advice about academics in high school, but they also hear about all the fun in Hall’s Chinese program!

What do the tutors have to say about the program?

Tina Xu ‘22: 

“It is not like a formal lesson, it is more like a peer conversation. You can ask about anything and I give any advice I have. Sometimes my student asks about tones, or any other questions outside of Chinese like how to study, and we are always there to just help as much as we can. We are also very flexible with time. I think because it is a student paired with another student, the student might feel more comfortable to ask questions than if they are with the teacher. You get to build somewhat of a friendship.”

Amy Zheng ‘22: 

“I love helping my students and feel rewarded when they learn something new from the tutoring session. The students’ parents are also extremely nice and are wonderful with communication; for example, we reschedule the meetings when there are events/concerts.”

Molly Reynolds ‘23:

“The Chinese tutoring society is such a positive environment at Hall and I’m very honored to be a part of it; I know all of the tutors are extremely encouraging and make everyone feel safe. It’s a great space to ask questions, do homework, or even get advice from upperclassmen. Personally, my favorite part is revisiting old topics learned in previous years, and it’s super rewarding to see progress from students and especially smiles of understanding. I was scared at first, but it’s very low-key and an overall fun environment!”

As a tutor for the Mandarin Help Center, besides mentoring a younger student, students can review and strengthen their Chinese. It may seem daunting at first, but it certainly is rewarding. Although it was started due to online school struggles, it still thrives due to the enthusiasm of the Chinese National Honors Society officers.

If you are interested in being a tutor, join the Google Classroom with the code yyu5s5y.