My teaching is grounded in rigorous doctoral training in Chinese language pedagogy at Ohio State, a nationally recognized leader in East Asian language education, where I specialized in curriculum design, materials development, and program leadership. For over a decade, I taught Mandarin at universities across the country, including Loyola University Maryland, UMBC, and Grinnell College.

But each week meant long commutes, large classes, and mandatory textbooks that clashed with what I knew about how students actually learn and often left students behind. And looming on the horizon was a tenure-track path that would require yet another relocation, one that could separate me from my family.

That’s when I decided to rewrite the story. I chose to put down roots in the Iowa City area, a community that shares my values of connection, balance, and lifelong learning. Today, my founded Midwest Chinese Academy brings academic advancement, career opportunity, personal enrichment, and cross-cultural connection to everyone of you in the community.

Mrs. Nan Li, Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies, loves teaching and sharing her native language (Mandarin) and cultural heritage with her students and the broader community.

Trained as an Early Childhood Special Education teacher from the University of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas) and a bilingual (Mandarin/English language) instructor (K-12), Mrs. Li taught Mandarin/English-language learners ranging from toddlers to young adults.

Mrs. Li’s teaching settings include Montessori Raintree School (Lawrence, Kansas), several private and public elementary, middle, and high schools in Iowa, Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, Minnesota), the University of Missouri (Columbia, Missouri), and the University of Minnesota (Duluth, Minnesota). She also had experience tutoring three young heritage Mandarin-language learners, aged 6 to 14.

Mrs. Li believes that interest is the best teacher. She is confident that everyone can learn Mandarin and Chinese culture through instructors’ effective facilitation and students’ internal motivation.

Mrs. Li lives with Kaiser, a naughty one-year-old male black cat, and Hans, her husband, a toxicologist in North Liberty, Iowa.

Joy Singer is a Taiwanese American in her third year of studying Chinese, English & Creative Writing, and Dance at the University of Iowa. She spent many summers in Taiwan with her family, exploring the island and its many cultures. She is excited to help educate the upcoming generations on Chinese/Taiwanese culture and the importance of the Mandarin language. 

Anna Nikkel is a third‑year undergraduate at the University of Iowa studying Chinese and World Language Education, along with an endorsement in English Language Learning (ELL). Anna also had the opportunity to study abroad during the summer at East China Normal University, where she continued her Chinese language studies. As a future educator, she looks forward to being part of learning spaces where children can explore the Chinese language and culture, believing that these experiences foster curiosity, understanding, and connection.

Jayden Amsler, MD is a Family Medicine Resident Physician at the University of Iowa Hospital. She studied Mandarin Chinese in high school for 4 years and went on to major in Asian Language and Literature at the University of Iowa. She received the Confucius Institute Scholarship, Iowa Abroad Scholarship, Stanley International Program Scholarship, Center for Asian and Pacific Studies Scholarship, and the Helen K. Fairall Scholarship for Students in Asian and Slavic Languages and Literature. After studying Mandarin Chinese for 8 years, she went on to take Chinese language and culture courses at Tianjin University of Technology in Tianjin, China. Her favorite culture courses included courses on calligraphy, erhu, and Chinese watercolor. She loves connecting with patients and others in the community that speak Mandarin Chinese and hopes to help foster inclusive spaces to encourage more community members to learn about Chinese language and literature.

Hunter Klie is a Lecturer of Chinese at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a PhD in Chinese Language Pedagogy from The Ohio State University. Dr. Klie has extensive experience teaching Mandarin Chinese to university students at all levels, having taught at Denison University, The Ohio State University, and Missouri State University. He has also served as an Assistant Teacher Trainer at the ALLEX Foundation's teacher training institute at Cornell University, where he trained East Asian language teachers in performed culture pedagogy. His research focuses on connecting the pedagogy of performance to the pedagogy of foreign languages, training teachers to help their students speak Chinese, not only with accurate language and clear pronunciation, but also with culturally appropriate body language and gestures, Hunter is excited to share his years of experience learning and teaching foreign languages with Midwestern language learners in the U.S.

Na Li began her career as an Associate Professor at Sichuan Normal University (1998–2012), where she taught with clarity and passion—sharing not only language skills but also thoughtful life perspectives. After moving to the U.S., she earned her M.A. in East Asian Languages and Literatures from the University of Iowa, specializing in Chinese pedagogy.

She taught immersive Chinese at Lakes International Language Academy in Minnesota (2010–2012), then continued teaching Mandarin at the University of Iowa for over five years. She also led high school-level instruction through the federally funded StarTalk Program, blending task-based teaching with cultural learning to help students connect language to real-life use.

Beyond the classroom, Na has been an active community leader. She served as President of the Iowa City Area Chinese Association (2021–2022) and has led APAPA’s Eastern Iowa Chapter since 2022. She is dedicated to promoting Asian culture, fostering cross-cultural understanding, and creating inclusive spaces. Since 2023, she has hosted the annual Lunar New Year Gala at the Englert Theater—a joyful celebration of Chinese heritage and performing arts.

I was adopted from China and have since returned twice to study abroad, strengthening my Chinese and deepening my understanding of the culture that shapes it. I recently moved to Iowa from Portland, Oregon, where I studied Chinese and Psychology and worked as an elementary classroom teaching assistant. As a parent of a toddler, I am committed to raising my son bilingually and continuing my own learning journey. I love helping families discover that learning Chinese can be joyful, meaningful, and within reach for everyone.