After four years, my Chinese teacher, Mrs. Yao, has not only become my favorite teacher, but also my friend. While picking classes for freshman year, my dad suggested taking Chinese instead of Spanish. All I knew about Chinese was that it was one of the hardest languages to learn, so I was intimidated. But four years later, it’s my favorite class.
During my freshman year, I became entranced in Chinese language and culture.  Starting with basic concepts (like counting and colors) the language started to  grow. One of the first lessons was about how to respectfully address your teacher in Chinese. Instead of saying “Mrs. Yao,” you say “Yao Laoshi.” (Laoshi translates to teacher and Yao is her last name.) At first, this seemed like an alien concept, but now saying “Mrs. Yao” feels wrong.
With emphasis on how valuable knowing a foreign language is--and real-life application in the classroom--it has made me appreciate all she does. With hours of lesson planning and grading homework at home, she creates a comfortable and efficient environment to learn in. Through fun video projects and discussions in class, we learn language that will be useful for speaking Chinese in everyday life. 
During my sophomore year, there was an opportunity to go to China with the school. I begged my parents to let me go, and finally, after weeks of persuasion, they allowed me to go on the trip. For 12 days, I was able to use my language skills and gain a friendship with not only with my peers, but also with my teacher, Yao Laoshi. Seeing her dedication to planning a fun, educational, and safe trip made me appreciate her hard work even more. Two years later, during my senior year, the opportunity for another trip to China came. With many new adventures on the second trip to China, I became even closer with Yao Laoshi.
I am happy to say I am continuing my journey in learning the Chinese language, but I am even happier that it started with such an enthusiastic, dedicated, and caring teacher: Yao Laoshi.