Li-Ming Chinese Academy

The Li-Ming Chinese Academy (LMCA) is a nonprofit school established in the spring of 1995. The school aims to develop students’ proficiency in the Chinese language and foster cultural awareness through classroom instruction, peer interaction, and participation in team activities. LMCA was founded on these principles: nurture the physical and emotional well-being of students; establish a participatory administrative system; and provide a harmonious environment where students, parents, teachers, and staff can learn and grow together.

The school has a Board of Trustees, which selects and appoints the principal. LMCA uses the facilities at the Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Maryland. School hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sundays. There are two semesters in each school year, comprising 16 Sundays per semester. Classes are held for students in grades ranging from pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade. Current enrollment is about 200 students.

The LMCA language instructional program adopts the “communicative approach” for second language learners. It is a student-centered methodology, which enables the students to learn functional language in realistic situations. The school continues to develop a comprehensive curriculum from pre-kindergarten to grade 12, suited to those students with a Chinese language environment at home. The curriculum draws upon a large collection of different Chinese language textbooks in the U.S. and other countries leading in Chinese language education. Four or more modules, centered around students’ experience and appropriate to students’ age and language background, are developed for each grade level.

The school is managed by devoted volunteers and staffed by dedicated teachers. One major goal is for students to become bilingual and appreciate the advantages. LMCA welcomes interested individuals and families to join and work toward these goals.

The school teaches the Mandarin pronunciation in listening and speaking, the traditional Chinese characters in reading and writing, and uses the Chinese phonetics as an aid. Students in grades 8 and above will also learn the Pinyin system and practice computer skills to improve their Chinese language proficiency. The school places major emphasis on teacher pre- and in-service training. All teachers attend periodic teacher training workshops conducted by leading educators in the field. Additionally, we encourage teachers to participate in professional association activities and conferences to stay up to date on recent developments in second language teaching. An Advisory Board consisting of experts in second language instruction, bilingual instruction, linguistics, and psychology advises teacher training and curriculum development efforts.

LMCA offers an array of extracurricular activities for students of all ages. Sports include badminton and basketball. Cultural classes include Chinese painting, oil painting, calligraphy, Tai-Chi, zither, Chinese Kung-Fu, calculation with abacus, the GO game, Karate, Zumba, modeling clay, knitting, beginner Chinese tutoring, and Youth Leadership Program. In addition, there are several student clubs, e.g., Student Government Association, Chinese Yo-Yo, and lion dance, etc.