About Ellery Hamann
Ellery is an experienced teacher of Chinese language, having lived in Taipei as a part-time English teacher and professional private instructor of Mandarin Chinese for the past 8 and half years. He has been learning and studying Chinese for 17 years and has tutored and taught Chinese for over 9 years in the US and Taiwan. Ellery graduated from Beloit College with a BA in Chinese language and culture in 2012. He has lived in China and Taiwan for over 9 years cumulatively, having studied and lived in Shandong province, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei, Taiwan.
Why study with a non-native speaker?
Often people wonder, “Why would I study with a foreigner whose native language is not Chinese when I could study with a local Taiwanese teacher?” There are some good reasons why. As a non-native speaker, I understand your perspective and have learned just as you have, and thus can explain things in a way that make sense to you. I have studied and use second language acquisition theories and alternative teaching methods that most Taiwanese instructors are not acquainted with or won’t use. Finally, unlike some Taiwanese teachers, I will never speak at length in English in class. English is only ever used to make the meaning of new language comprehensible. Lastly, I am more acquainted with how languages are taught and learned as an adult, as I have taught myself German to B2 proficiency over the past 5 years while living in Taipei. This has helped me empathize with students’ frustrations while learning a language as an adult.
For more information or to sign up for lessons, please contact Ellery via email: elleryhamann@gmail.com