When a student thinks about world language at Oyster River High School (ORHS), chances are Mandarin isn’t the first language that pops into their head. When first observing three languages that ORHS offers, Mandarin is perceived as the “third place” option behind French and Spanish. There’s only one teacher, one class per level, and the classroom is tucked away in a small “closet” by the library. Even so, teacher Lisa Fan and the rest of the Mandarin program have been able to accept these disadvantages and find success that’s led to the growth of the program.
Before Fan arrived, ORHS would have access to teachers because of the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) ties to the Confucius Institute, which is an education group funded by the Chinese government. These teachers would teach for a short number of years, then go back to China and be replaced by a new one. This was easy for the school, because they never needed to hire a teacher, but it made it difficult for the students because they couldn’t connect with the teacher. In 2021, however, due to security concerns, UNH ended the contract, which lead to the hiring of Fan.
Since Fan has been teaching, the number of students in Mandarin 4 and 5 has gone from five to eighteen. This is significant to the program, because neither of those are required classes. Colleges only require two to three years of world language. Years spent learning Mandarin in middle school can count for one of those years, too. “I feel like people are staying in the program for different reasons beyond just to complete the requirement … I try understanding different people’s needs. So, for example, if their goal is to take AP, I try to help them reach their goal,” said Fan.
Increasing the number of students was Fan’s goal when she arrived at ORHS, and she is doing specific things to help reach that goal. “I’m always trying to communicate with students, families, and the school to help grow this program,” said Fan. She also says that word of mouth is huge, and if she tells people about the class, she knows that it will spread.
The students also agree that Fan plays a huge role in the class’s success. Alexander Fenton (‘25) is very pleased with how well she’s able to work with students individually and shows that she cares about teaching. “She is very open with like one-on-one time. She’s always very approachable, and she gives a lot of opportunities to an individual student that’ll help you learn the Chinese better,” said Fenton.
Sawyer Levesque (‘25) has been taking Mandarin since 6th grade and understands that he’s taking advantage of something that a lot of kids don’t. According to the US News & World Reports article titled “Mandarin Learning Is a Must,” only 0.04% of students K-12 take Mandarin. That’s partially because most schools don’t even offer it. “Our school is fortunate because I don’t know of many other schools that offer Chinese. I try to take advantage of that.”
Fan understands the uniqueness behind the class and the difficulty behind the language but can make it manageable for the students. “Outside the classroom, you don’t have much opportunity to use the language … I try to focus on interpersonal speaking, which gives the student the most competencies and they can use the language.”
One of the only negative things about the program that can be heard around the community is its reputation as being an “easy class” and one you don’t learn much in. Levesque believes that comes from the prior experiences from prior teachers. “At the middle school we didn’t really learn anything. Our teachers [from the Confucius Institute] were bad. But since Mrs. Fan, we actually learn things and our curriculum is way better.”
Fan doesn’t see the growth of this program stopping any time soon. “I want to bring overseas trips and fun events to add more of a purpose and attraction.” She’s also heavily involved with the program at the middle school and says that she works with the middle school teacher to make sure they are on the same page to improve the growth of the learners.
– Kevin Kell
Mouth of the River 
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