Hutchins has 17 years’ experience teaching Mandarin Chinese.  She specializes in Chinese language pedagogy, assessment, and incorporating technology into the classroom.

She earned her master’s degree in Southeast Asian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a school well known for strong East, Southeast, and South Asian Languages.

She went on to obtain 30+ hours at Indiana University-Bloomington’s East Asian Summer Language Institute; and Northern Kentucky University’s Intensive Summer Institute World Language Teachers. She serves as a Master Teacher to that program’s new Chinese teacher- candidates.

She presents to various groups and associations and participates in Chinese teacher development workshops, after-school enrichment programs in Chinese and Chinese language youth summer camps. She is a member of the Chinese Language Teachers Association and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language.

In addition to teaching, she interprets court proceedings into Mandarin Chinese state-wide, trained by the Kentucky Court of Justice Court Interpreting Services program.  Most recently she has begun working with a non-profit agency teaching Chinese calligraphy as art therapy.