Third Grade Teachers

I was born and raised in San Francisco and am a product of SFUSD’s public school system. I attended Miraloma Elementary, Aptos Middle, and Lowell High. Growing up with immigrant parents meant learning Chinese was not optional for me. My sisters and I were expected to know English but also master Chinese. My parents relied on us to be their translators because they did not speak or read English, so the only language allowed to be spoken at home was Chinese. Learning Chinese seemed like a chore when I was young, but as I got older, I felt accomplished for knowing another language. In high school, I took Mandarin Chinese because I wanted to understand the main dialect spoken in China. My interest in learning Chinese grew as I went on to college majoring in Chinese. I am fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

I have been volunteering and student teaching at CIS since 2011 and am very excited to OFFICIALLY be a part of this great family!

Greetings to you!  I am Sandy Ma, one of the third grade teachers.  I am a native Chinese speaker born in Macao.  In 1996, my family and I immigrated to California.  Being a Chinese immigrant, I was and still am proud to speak dual languages.  After teaching many years at a Chinese school and tutor center, my passion of sharing and educating the new generations in Chinese language and culture has developed.  It also brings me joy to work with children and to be a part of their growth.

After I graduated from Concordia University of Irvine and got my teaching credential from San Francisco State University, I was ready to start my teaching career.  This is my third year of teaching as a classroom teacher.  I have taught 2nd grade and kindergarten classes at a private school for the previous years.  However, teaching Chinese has always been my dream.  I am blessed to be able to each in Chinese Immersion School.

I am looking forward to working closely with you and your children as they continue in their learning journey.

Hello everyone! I am very excited to teach at Chinese Immersion School at DeAvila. Since I was born and raised in Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to learn English and Chinese. My family and I immigrated to San Francisco when I was a tennager. Then, I received my bachelor and master degrees in biology at San Francisco State University.  In my opinion, having two languages is an advantage. It allowed me to translate for  my parents and helped me to study more efficiently because I could choose to use either Chinese or English to organize my class notes. Therefore, I started to develop my passion of teaching Chinese language to the next generations.

Prior to teaching at CIS, I was a Chinese bilingual teacher in Hillcrest elementary school for 5 years. I look forward to combining my skills and knowledge from other teachers in this school to work with your child.

My hobbies are cycling, reading, watching movies, and enjoying coffee with my friends.