We Embrace
Our Local Community
via Language learning

“I Speak Academy” promotes the willingness and skills to communicate in a language other than English. No matter what your age, career, or interests are, gaining a new language and culture will give you a deeper understanding of and with people of various language and culture backgrounds in this global village.

Mission & Approach

“I Speak Academy” will provide immersive language learning experiences to the Lawrence community. All language programs are small-sized, rich in culturally relevant authentic materials and hands-on activities, and taught in the target language.

Kayla, Lawrence

“We've been looking for a good Chinese teacher for our 6-year-old son for 2 years and Ms. Jessie is the best teacher in Kansas area, no matter you are a kid or an adult! My son has been taking Mandarin classes with her since January. It's only 3 months and we can't believe how much he learned in such a short amount of time, especially for reading and writing. Jessie is a phenomenal teacher! She's patient, encouraging, stays on task, has a great magic power of making Chinese classes and homework interesting for those little ones. The open space "classroom" she picked makes it a lot easier for my son to be focusing for the entire one-hour lesson. The class size is small so each student gets a lot of individual attention. The materials are all picked and integrated by Jessie based on the students' level. The best part we love is Jessie's class will never bore your kids and I will recommend it to anyone who is interested to learn speaking, reading, or writing Chinese. “

Leo, Lawrence

"My child has been attending Chinese class with teacher Jiang for some time now, and we couldn't be happier with the results. Teacher Jiang's unique approach to teaching has helped my child to not only learn Chinese but to enjoy the learning process as well. Her fun activities and engaging homework have made learning Chinese a highlight of our child's week. In addition, teacher Jiang's organizational skills are impeccable, and her patience and kindness have created a positive and encouraging learning environment for all kids. We highly recommend teacher Jiang to any family looking for an exceptional Chinese teacher."

Advisory Board

Members of advisory board brought their expertise in curriculum and instruction and business development to help I Speak Academy serve the Lawrence community better.

Phyllis Farrar

Phyllis Farrar served as Education Program Consultant for World Languages and ESOL at Kansas State Department of Education for 9 years. Prior to that position, she taught German and other subjects at the junior high level in Lawrence for 22 years. Additionally, she was the founder and lead teacher of German School of Northeast Kansas and taught pre-school to adult classes for 9 years. She has a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from KU.

Yan Li

Dr. Yan Li is an Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at KU. She studies Chinese linguistics and second language acquisition. Her research focuses on how to facilitate the acquisition of Chinese as a foreign language for adult learners. She is also the Chinese language coordinator at KU.

Annabel Siu

.Annabel Siu is a parent that deeply cares about the all-round development of young kids. With multilingual and multicultural learning and working background, Annabel Siu has rich experience of volunteering and working with kids at elite schools and programs in Hong Kong. She is also an entrepreneur.

Meet Our Instructors

Director of I Speak Academy

Jessie Jiang

Jessie Jiang holds a PhD degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Foreign Language Education from the University of Kansas. She has been teaching Chinese as a foreign/second language since 2005. Within the past 17 years, Jessie has taught all levels of Mandarin at both K-12 and college educational setting, as well as at business settings. She is the one who oversees all the language programs this LLC can provide. She will be the instructor for Chinese language programs.

Instructor, French language programs

Bronwen Jenkins

Bronwen Jenkins is a recent graduate of the University of Kansas where she earned a Master of Arts in French and Francophone Studies. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in French from Wichita State University in 2017. After earning her BA, Bronwen was a substitute paraeducator for USD 259 in Wichita, and she primarily worked with elementary students. From 2018-2019, Bronwen lived and worked in Wichita’s French sister city, Orléans, as a teaching assistant where she taught English to children. As a student at KU, Bronwen worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for French where she instructed Elementary French I and II.

Instructor,Spanish language programs

Krista Meisch

Krista Meisch is a dedicated educator with a diverse background in teaching. She has taught both in the United States and most recently in Barcelona, Spain. Her specialization is Spanish education, but she has also taught preschool, fourth grade, and middle school English. She has a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by non-native speakers and is dedicated to creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all of her students. She is interested in bilingual education, and using creative techniques so that her students can achieve proficiency in Spanish. She is new to Lawrence and is enjoying getting back to her Kansan roots.

Careers

We are looking for instructors who can offer German, Korean, Italian, and other language programs.

We Embrace Our Local Community via Language learning

Mission & Approach

Advisory Board

Meet Our Instructors

Careers

Contact Us

We Embrace
Our Local Community
via Language learning