Testimonials

"Chinese is becoming one of the most popular languages in the world. If my children keep up with their Chinese studies, they will have an advantage in the future." - Mr. Lopez

"Our son, Alexander has been learning Cantonese for 3 years at the school starting in the Kindergarten class. He enjoys his lessons on Sunday afternoons which are stimulating, supportive and fun. He has made great progress and is now able to understand his grandparents in their dialect and read and write many Chinese characters..." -- Mr. & Mrs. Davies

At first, they did not want to come. Now the teacher makes it interesting, so they don't want to miss a lesson. Learning Chinese not only teaches the culture, but also enhances their brains." - Mary Louise

"My daughter, Corinna is attending the Mandarin Beginner Class at Transfiguration Chinese School. She loves to come to class every Saturday. […] Transfiguration utilizes a multi-sensory programmatic methodology that captures the kids and ensures their interests in learning. […]Transfiguration Chinese School will help to build a solid foundation of the Chinese language in her as she grows and matures with her bilingual communication skills." -- Bernadette

"The textbook used by the Transfiguration Chinese School is a good fit for the students who attend five days of regular school, and need some extra motivation to study their weekend curriculum. Apparently, they have started to enjoy the pleasure from reading." - Mrs. Siu

Adom was reluctant to go to Transfiguration Chinese School because he was afraid that the curriculum might be too advanced. Upon attending his first class, Adom learned that the level of difficulty of the curriculum was appropriate for his age and skill level. […] The children are all grouped by ability, so children of similar skill level are placed together. This provides an excellent environment for learning; beginners are encouraged, not intimidated. I would recommend Transfiguration Chinese School to anyone interested in learning the Chinese language." -- Mrs. McDonald

"Patient, conscientious and loving teachers and staff. The highest teacher / student ration in each class. Stimulating teaching materials. Continuity between grades." - Mr. Choy

When we enrolled our daughters at Transfiguration, we found more than we bargained for: we found life-long community and family with other parents, teachers, and students. While our 7 year old continues her Chinese learning at the school, our 15 year old has graduated at the top of her Chinese class, but continues to volunteer her time at the church. As a result of her courses at Transfiguration Chinese School, she is now speaking, writing, and reading Mandarin fluently. Transfiguration has been a life changing experience for our children, and for us. - Mrs. Officer

"My wife is Chinese and we think it's extremely important for our children to learn about the Chinese culture and be able to communicate with their grandparents. My daughter won a trophy in kindergarten and is working on getting another one. My son is also doing very well." - Mr. Persina

Kids are like a piece of blank paper, whenever you write on it, it will show and stay on it. Many people think learning Chinese can wait, wait when kids are grown up and want to learn on their own. Of course that will be easier, but Kids are like wet cement, you have to print on it when you still can.  -- Anthony Chau

... In recent years, they even received scholastic awards and [my children] are very proud of the results from their hard work.

Transfiguration's rigourous teaching methodology, personal caring attention and excellent focus on individuals' progress is unmatched with any other local Chinese education programs." - Mr. Lee

"When I signed up for the Beginners Class at Transfiguration Chinese School in New York it was my very first contact with Mandarin. It was a wonderful experience. Due to the small class size and our encouraging and excellent teacher I really got into the language, learned a lot and was never intimidated. I would highly recommend it if you really want to learn Chinese. Thank you ever so much for this."  -- Katharina Finke

"I think my kids learned something very valuable here, and that is “there are things in life that you may not like to do but are necessary, and you have to apply yourself with as much discipline and perseverance as you would the things that are most fun to you.” I am grateful that Ms Fung and all the teachers here have work tirelessly to provide our children with the opportunity to learn." - Charlene Wang

Our girls, Nicole and Rachel Faigen, really love being part of the Transfiguration family.  They look forward to joining their friends in class every week, and they approach their assignments with great enthusiasm.  More important, their Mandarin skills continue to grow by leaps and bounds. They now have a firm foundation for future learning. We can't be more happy with their teachers, who are deeply committed to helping young people learn Mandarin and connecting them to the fascinating Chinese heritage.   -- Kay and Steven Faigen

"...In many ways, one lives a new life for every language one speaks. Studying Chinese at Transfiguration has given me access to another culture and has helped me understand how other people think, as well as keeping my mind active in a fun way. Most importantly, studying Chinese has let me be more of part of my daughter's birth culture and life." - Tim Crowley

"This Chinese school is a school where my sister, my mother, and I go to. This Chinese school has supported us 4 years [...] This school has taught me how to do all the basic things for reading, writing, and speaking of Chinese and provided me and my family supplies like books, CDs, etc to do so. This school puts a lot of effort for me and my family and everybody else's' to learn Chinese, and I recommend for other students/people to take this class too. ..." -- Ryuichi Lin

"At first, I was jealous of other kids who could stay home and watch TV on Sundays while I had to go to Chinese school. Later on, I started to like Chinese and exposed myself to the Chinese culture. I graduated from the Transfiguration Chinese School in 2003, and now, I am working there as a volunteer."- Edwin Graduate (2003)

"As a Chinese-American who doesn't primarily speak Chinese at home, it was very important for me to give my children the best opportunity to learn Chinese at a young age. The Transfiguration Chinese School has been a wonderful place for all three of them to learn. They are taught to read, write and speak traditional Chinese characters as well as pinyin..." -- Sherry Hsiung

"...The Transfiguration Chinese School sets itself apart from the previous Chinese School that our kids attended in its fovcus on utilizing the entire 3 hours of each class to Chinese instruction in order to achieve great results. [...] Thank you to the entire staff of the school for the precious gift of serious Chinese instruction that you have given to our children and to the rest of the community..." - Dennis Cho

"A little Black girl learning Mandarin is not far-fetched...that same little Black girl mastering Mandarin, I'd say that's extraordinary. And that's exactly what my daughter Sakai is doing.

In many ways, language is the gateway to cultural awareness and acceptance and I am confident that Transfiguration Chinese School is providing my daughter with the skills for both...." -- Nysheva-Starr

We can't say enough good things about this warm, lovely, academically competitive weekend school.

Under the steady, superb helm of Ms. Beatrice Fung, the Transfiguration Chinese School has been teaching my two children Mandarin since 2008 -- no easy feat since no one in our immediate family speaks Mandarin or any Chinese dialect at home. ..." - Andrew Dunn

"[..]Both my husband and I feel that it is very important that our American born children get to learn the language and culture of our families and ancestors. The teachers at Transfiguration Chinese school have been most nurturing and patient: teaching the children not only through the standard text books, but also through songs, calligraphy, and Chinese poetry..." -- Mr & Mrs Mok

"...We recommend this program to any parent who is serious about having children study Mandarin. Through structured learning and teachers with extensive experience and skills to deal with students of all levels, our daughter has acquired a tremendous vocabulary bank, understands and speaks simple conversation, and is able to read pinyin and recognize as well as write Chinese characters in less than a year...." ----Ming C. Wong and Gina Wong

"[...] 'I'm going to miss Mandarin class!!'[...]What five year old sincerely chooses to attend school over a birthday party? Her reaction is a clear result of the instructional strategies and rapport that The Chinese School teachers build with these young students to keep them motivated and engaged in learning a difficult foreign language." --Anya Munce

"Being a Japanese girl, Chinese is the third language for our daughter. And she learns Spanish at her school. While it is almost impossible to study four languages, teachers at Transfiguration Chinese School made it possible for her. In addition to speaking, she also mastered more than 100 Chinese characters thanks to the writing homework." - Ms. Nozaki

" My daughter was 4 years old when she [...] walked in on her first day not knowing much basic mandarin words. On the last day of class, she walked out knowing Mandarin counting, [...] names of the parts of a human head, primary colors, Chinese songs and she even learned how to use chopsticks! [...] I highly recommend Transfiguration Chinese School as the place for your child to attend!" -- Nancy Huie [Proud parent of Alyssa F.]

"I remember how my daughter, who was not interested in learning Chinese, turned to love Chinese, both studying and singing Chinese songs from the school. I love that school program." - Kei Wai To (Parent)

"My daughter [...] loves to go to her class every Saturday, you can tell because she wakes up really excited about going to class. [...] I only have praise for the work that Transfiguration Chinese school is doing." -- Karina Uribe

"...My father never taught me Chinese when I grew up in France.
At age 15, I had promised myself that one day, when I have children, this mistake will never happen to them, that they will speak Chinese. Today, Ruby is 7 and speaks fluently Chinese and French. Gevan (夏 仁 瀚) her 4 yr old brother, will join her in September.
Thank you Transfiguration School for taking Ruby's education so seriously." - Edward Ha (夏愛華)

"My son Eric had studied Cantonese here in Transfiguration Chinese School for 9 years. [...] I chose Transfiguration Chinese School for its teaching and tradition and experience. The location of our Chinese School allows us to pass by the Chinese restaurants, stores, observe the Chinese markets and community events on Sundays; especially Chinese New Year every Februrary. [...] I am proud that I have chosen this school, met committed teachers and Principal Fong. I am even prouder when I see the amazing work [this school has] accomplished." -- Man Ling Tam

"由於外國人學中文的現象愈來愈普遍，外子和我都覺得身為中國人，不可以不懂中文，所以在小女兒五歲的時候便送她到顯聖容堂中文學校上課，一學便三年。在這三年間，得到老師的悉心教導，她的學習成績很好，而且越學越有興趣；她不單會讀還會寫，讓她感到很自豪，這一切都應該感謝學校，以及曾經教過她的每一位老師。" -- Annie Yung (parent)

"[...] Growing up [...] I had to go five days a week [...] learning Chinese and becoming bilingual was a gift that my parents gave to me. [...] [Going] to my mother for help with my Chinese homework [...] brought us closer. [..] whenever I have traveled to Hong Kong and China and met relatives and we have an instant bond because we can speak the same language [...] It's been a gift whenever I run into a new Chinese immigrant on the subway or even on the street who needs help finding their way. [...] you will realize just how wonderful a gift it is." -- 龍美姿 Vivian Toy

Genevive got the first place this semester. I asked her if she still wanted to study Chinese?
She did not even give a thought and answered: “ I want”.
Behind the words  “I want”, I have no doubt that the teachers of the Chinese School  must have put in a lot of efforts in their work. - Jun Chang ( parent)

"[...]Learning Chinese, persistence is very important for both the parent and the student, if the student say,"I don't want to study Chinese", and the parent say "OK, I will have more time for something else", then, dropout is very easy. [...] we are Chinese, we have to know our own language, even foreigner learn Chinese, and knowing Chinese will be a plus for you when you go to work, and for your life time down the road [...] I have a cousin, she has a 30 years old son, he recently changed to a new job. One day, he came home from work, he asked his mom, how come you didn't force me to learn Chinese when I was younger.[...]" -- Melody Chen's mom, Annie Yung

"This is the best Mandarin Chinese school I have ever experienced. My eight year old child and I take classes here.[...] The kids get a reasonable amount of quite doable homework. [...] My grown-up class is something special too.[...] The teacher Ms. Luo is trained in Chinese pedagogy and she is the best teacher I have ever had. I studied Mandarin in Taiwan and at two Ivy League universities, so I am not naive in giving her an A. I thought three hours a week would be too much, but it is actually just right [...] Check it out!" - Wendell T.

[...] We are always amazed at how interested and engaged in Mandarin [our daughter] has been for the past two years. We believe this enthusiasm is a result of the teaching practices and the general warm nurturing nature of the staff and Principal. They approach us with smiles, provide us with feedback, and give assistance with sincerity. [...] The forty minute drive from Harlem to Chinatown every Saturday is well worth the effort and time for the great experience she receives at the Chinese School." - Anya Munce