Dr. Timothy G. Stout, World Languages Department Chair and Chinese Teacher at Waterford, earned his B.A. in Japanese Teaching from Brigham Young University (1994), M.A. in Japanese Pedagogy from Columbia University (2002) and his doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Utah State University (2013). He joined Waterford as a Japanese teacher in 2006, and has served in various student support roles, including MS Homeroom Teacher, US Advisor, and Class X and XI Dean. He has served as the World Languages Department Chair since 2015.
Tim was approached about building a Chinese program at Waterford in 2009. He spent the next several years learning with tutors in China via Skype during the school year and studying in China during the summers of 2011, 2012, and 2013. The Chinese program at Waterford was launched in 2014. The Japanese program was phased out gradually, as the Chinese program grew over the next few years. Tim teaches all levels, including Chinese 1, 2, 3, 4, and AP Chinese.
Tim has led numerous teams of students to compete in state-wide Chinese Fair competitions, where they have earned top awards, including many first place ribbons in events such as poetry recitation, Chinese character writing, and speech contests. Some even earned cash prizes. He has led numerous Waterford student trips abroad, including to Japan, China, and Singapore.
Tim served on the AP Japanese Development Committee, working with specialists from the College Board and Educational Testing Services, creating test items to be used in the annual AP Japanese examinations. As a member of the APDC Tim has presented at numerous regional and national conferences, including the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Convention and the Advanced Placement Annual Conference in locations such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Denver, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. Tim also served as an AP test reader for ten years.
Tim has published several language study books, including the best-selling “Japanese Hiragana and Katakana for Beginners,” and “Japanese Kanji for Beginners.” These books highlight Tim’s love for drawing, and feature original picture mnemonics designed to help readers better learn and recall kanji characters. Tim uses these same methods in his classes at Waterford to help students learn hundreds of new Chinese characters each year.
Tim and his wife, LaNae, have five children and six grandchildren. In his spare time Tim enjoys reading, traveling, and hiking with his family.