Translated literally from Chinese to English, kung fu means skill acquired through hard work. That's a fitting description for presentations that Chinese martial arts teacher Lucas Geller recently gave to Niskayuna High School Chinese classes earlier this month.

“A-Salamu ali-kum,” says Kamel Gadallah to each student entering his classroom at the Upper School. The traditional greeting of “Peace unto you,” this disarming, generous offer will be the first of many Gadallah extends to his students during the Arabic 2 class.

On Wednesday, January 11, 2012, at 7pm Chinese Language Teacher Wang Xiaona will speak about teenage life and culture in China at the Hopkinton Public Library. Included in her presentation will be descriptions of what school is like in China, as well as the life of parents and teachers. Wang Xiaona comes to Hopkinton through the Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP), a program which brings teachers from China and Egypt to teach Chinese and Arabic at elementary and secondary schools in the United States for an academic year.

TCLP Chinese Teacher, Xiaona Wang, is interviewed by Hopkinton High School freshman Amanda Madany during an episode of All About Hopkinton, broadcast on local television. In the interview, Xiaona discusses her first impressions of the Hopkinton community, how she plans her classes, and cultural differences between Chinese and American students.

Tang Beiyi has found students at Willmar Senior High to be active and eager to participate in class activities. The English teacher from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in China, said this week that she has enjoyed meeting the students and the people in Willmar this fall. Tang will be spending the school year in Willmar, co-teaching with local Chinese teacher Todd Lynum. Tang is the second teacher from China that Willmar Senior High has hosted in the past three years. Tang’s year in America is supported by the Teachers of Critical Languages Program, which is funded by the U.S. State Department and implemented by American Councils for International Education.