Parent Testimonials
"Planet Han is a wonderful school and nurturing environment. My daughter loved her time there and her Chinese improved dramatically thanks to her diligent, kind and patient teachers."
- IVANKA TRUMP
Mother of 10 year old Arabella
"Being a native Chinese speaking parent, our son's ability to communicate in Chinese has been one of our top priorities ever since he was born. We have researched many Chinese teaching institutions in Manhattan prior to having our son attend Planet Han, however, it was obvious that Planet Han offered exactly what we were looking for. We are extremely grateful to Irene and her teaching staff for their dedications and compassions to teach our son. After two and a half years of studying Chinese at Planet Han, our son who has just turned six can speak, listen, read, and write in Chinese fluently. Our son could read and write better than me when I was six years old living in Taiwan. This remarkable outcome is beyond what I have imagined or thought even possible when he started. I would highly recommend Plant Han to those parents who are committed to their children's Chinese language learning."
- RONALD HUA
"We have had an amazing partnership with Planet Han. The school is intimate and supportive - the teachers and Irene know how each child is progressing and how to motivate them to succeed. Aidan and Avery are excited for summer camp to begin again, this time for Lego building in Chinese!"
- SHIRLEY C.
Mother of 10 year old Aidan and 7 year old Avery
“We are beginning our 3rd year at Planet Han. Our daughter has grown so much in the school during her preschool time and she was promoted to Fluent classes. As non-mandarin speaking parents we feel very happy to see her progress and watch how she can now have a conversation in mandarin even outside the school setting. The school staff puts a lot of attention in their accent and she feels really confident about engaging in conversation. The facilities are always clean and tidy, classes are very well organized and the teachers are sweet and caring. Our daughter has lots of fun and learns while playing, singing, rhyming and role playing. She loves going to Planet Han. I can’t believe she is already beginning to read and write in mandarin. She is almost 5 and knows so many characters. Thank you Planet Han for teaching with so much dedication and love!”
- VERONICA URIBE
Mother of 4 year old Amalia
"Planet Han has been such a positive experience for our family. The staff is extremely professional and organized but also very gentle with the students, particularly those toddlers for whom this may be both a first separation experience and an introduction to a new language. We are so glad we found this unique and engaging option for our daughter."
- KEN CONNOLLY
Father of 5 year old daughter
Student Testimonials
"Thank you, Planet Han, for helping me with my Mandarin studies beginning in 7th grade. You created a non-judgmental and nurturing environment that served me incredibly well. The personalized tutoring helped me go from knowing no Chinese to getting a 5 on the AP Chinese exam.
Thank you for also giving me an internship and allowing me the space to grow and develop both my language skills and as a young woman. Through the past few years, the community I formed at PH was invaluable-- as I go on to major in Comparative Literature in college, I know I could not have done it without you."
- Zoe Parkin
Zoe was a student at Planet Han who then became one of our Summer Counsellors in 2021 and 2022. She is an incoming college freshman in 2023.
Fifteen years ago, I started learning Mandarin with Planet Han, and I am so lucky to have grown up with this school. I began with zero knowledge of Mandarin and, over time, gained strong linguistic and cultural fluency. I have made invaluable bonds with teachers with whom I am still connected, and the Planet Han family is incredibly special to me. Through these fifteen years, my role at the school aged with me – I have been an after-school student, a summer camper, a summer camp counselor, and SAT subject-test prep student…the list goes on. Now I get to stay connected with Planet Han more remotely by designing social media graphics and promotional material.
Planet Han is not just a school to me. Learning Mandarin there taught me a dedication to practice, immersion, and playfulness that I apply to other languages I have studied – Greek, Russian, and Italian became far easier with my constant commitment to Mandarin at Planet Han. Beyond that, this school has been a space of friendship and care. My summers at Planet Han were characterized by a tangible joy that gave me confidence in my own heritage. I treasure every memory I have made at Planet Han, and I am grateful for the support the school continues to provide me in my post-academic career. Thank you, Planet Han, and happy birthday!
- Marcie, 21 years old - Director’s Daughter
FIFTEEN YEARS!? Planet Han has meant so much to me over these past... fifteen years. Thinking back on it, it really moves me to consider how I've grown up alongside my mom's passion project as long as I can remember. From attending classes and summer camp to eventually working as a counselor, I feel like I've really gotten to know and love this school from the inside out. I've become fluent in Mandarin, which has been incredibly important to me throughout my life—language is something that brings people together, and Mandarin has connected me to so many people, and those bonds have meant everything to me. I've found friends in teachers and students, and not only have I learned a new language from nothing (WOW!), I've done so in so, so many creative ways. From thumb wrestling to be emperor of a dynasty, to hunching over the calligraphy table until I perfected my writing, to donning a wig to be a Trolls character—in Chinese. Most of the time, when I was learning Mandarin, I barely even realized I was because, at Planet Han, learning is fun, and fun is learning. In short, Planet Han has brought me wonderful friends, good times, and, most importantly, an entire language and its culture. I am so proud to be the daughter of the founder of something so special. You've really done something amazing, Mom, and I hope you see that every day.
- Lucie, 17 years old - Director’s Daughter