 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
October 15, 2005, ]+ C3 R; O3 O
Classes in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity
% |3 @. D1 j3 F0 J, u8 @4 k
1 N7 P$ B, x4 p& @$ L ?: CBy GRETCHEN RUETHLING
) a* Q+ X3 N* R \% g0 m0 z% G
# j/ l/ \) d. S) g! z% [. N0 ]' b% \CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the
9 @2 R) `; y% |7 V6 H. ~United States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary
* D9 K% q+ I1 |; M% z( FSchool, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas5 E; v9 \" ~ W) I
dangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese
: x' d& w: I5 r- H2 J+ b0 qflag hang from the wall.( H8 y: U7 j* X# R# j4 M' @
& j$ @2 s/ q: A* H) dOne recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one9 {6 U4 w3 a4 q7 u0 J8 i
another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders/ R W/ n/ l( C# k
practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker
" I1 e( c' u: Z$ o5 U; @boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students
# R; u+ X* P O) ^: V1 T1 o" vare already choosing it over Spanish.! Y: f/ A& g* B0 Q" l) O
. A: ^( t. t# z% O4 S" I
"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal
$ X/ s& Y4 H$ U1 C3 B9 nat Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city
7 h; v8 V: c4 k4 d" yoffering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."7 Y9 J5 n4 R) `; l
8 F8 S+ K: ~8 n& NWith encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,
4 Q( }6 g+ X# ~7 t: p+ h. k6 rschools across the United States are expanding their language offerings1 q5 k; A2 T8 R( C* W
to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention
$ {- v1 w3 [8 oone of its most difficult to learn.; J* Y% h) Y; C0 x, v
) P; `2 C4 d! X& @5 i/ d
Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to; J9 s* D( O3 E1 I3 G+ W
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students
- M& E3 g; s# }2 c0 N) ?+ W/ w* W6 ^studying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
- l% N2 W" U; OLieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of2 U; w& G9 a4 n2 n3 b4 o. B
Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on
5 K) X( p5 ?% `$ m7 _Chinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to
@* @" {7 @. P0 h% Y/ [, Uimprove ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
& Y4 X6 E& ~% ?2 ]- ]: o/ ]
% o3 ~9 }3 D8 L# M8 D7 c1 Q# K# aAfter 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement
, B- C* A& @% ^7 kChinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country2 }& H u8 I9 o: x: U$ J& H) C! A
starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to3 D z- n- C5 w6 B) O7 D; E
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing! b1 _6 @+ C* f9 d
curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director8 R8 ^$ x# U5 U1 H$ M
of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.; ^2 O) X. w- L! f4 V
; u2 x, Z: n1 y, A$ _"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of! _$ n% @' x' S( N( I! j
speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education
% f4 l( e* j+ H7 Q! r( U5 F/ OConsulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we' O7 F. D; {# V# n9 W
can."
- D( C5 r2 h. S% b* P3 O2 f) O' p, g# J6 g: x
The number of Chinese language programs around the country, from ?( ~& R2 r$ S% m
elementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10) P, {& r7 l5 J
years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language4 H, q1 D# z( e$ J; k) y7 o
Institute in Washington.( e* u8 \" Z* p% x4 T7 v
7 n9 B0 _0 x- U"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages. z: G9 l0 v+ y" e9 t c
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.) N0 l( i6 n6 z+ g. j( ]
McGinnis said.. \8 ^1 ~4 ]. Y6 F
0 q. l2 g. p1 L& R/ p7 G"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical
, d( H& A% Z9 ]- rlongstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be; v2 |) p1 Z$ E ]$ j0 T
ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a
6 o9 Q1 G! Z/ a8 }! ychallenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."
. a% E: q/ ~+ J+ N) |5 h
5 F0 @1 c& ~! M. S5 F* bUp to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and" k+ n$ j- h& a( g" A
secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in
" Q9 ?0 o9 L/ [4 |& gcities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of
% h+ F& \7 E( ~! B6 z! aChinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or8 e& A; _ m8 w+ n" m
on weekends.2 f3 h1 R+ u% ]! x
; v8 h4 J) t! v1 I* `, l
The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public
9 e( E9 k; H" bschools during the regular school day and primarily serves l* u4 X6 z# E4 U2 `' O* R
students who are not of Chinese descent.
- Q2 o; o' t2 {/ ~ ^! A* ?+ E
/ n' j. H0 N% ?) a$ lMayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said5 h7 d5 L% H# E" b) P
proficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the
- ]7 _. K7 R" {+ V: Y" G- J3 i( Gcompetition.
' D5 E6 O/ r9 g% t$ a! M
% \; ]+ z' ` u0 ?; M0 Q% H"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley
# T @) A; K! u# d6 D8 \said. "There will be Chinese and English."$ Q! B0 ^; v" @
. p( {- W3 Q; R t
From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly* }) D! o2 z, F7 W: f
all-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse' A5 B. N! t+ P1 I) Z* T
schools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from5 e# _$ w" P# ^5 b2 J# E
kindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students5 k9 b3 _6 Q8 J
who are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to" B( i0 Q) [+ f% C6 ~0 h6 @" c% Z
the school system last year.: g1 ?5 H }6 F# l- f
- t3 w j- g+ v5 H+ H) lThe program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this/ J$ V" h5 G7 d7 a' N$ a6 p
year and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.
. s, t+ x0 Q% r Y4 [% `* \1 y# d! K# Z& R2 _% F
"They have a great international experience right in their own- ~" N6 d' x) p7 { N
classroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago! _+ P1 _* P+ I( \, c
Chinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to' C4 Y) e- c% n: ?. G' n r
help students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet4 d$ L. w+ [1 P4 L
on an equal playing field."* N; o; J; l; O
" H0 e; y0 x* s8 [2 `
Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese
, n& `$ U: w" Zclasses are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign
' O- m. L4 O+ K' |3 u3 f! z. ~Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks- H+ A! r4 ~/ Q# {6 F
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An1 Q+ W. q8 W5 x- B/ r# U
average English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in$ _# z: n, a, |0 }
Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the5 o# O& b$ I5 M! C" R/ O) ~5 L
institute says.
4 y8 B+ `0 F, W
' a3 g' k6 c4 m3 y( m0 ^Sevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth1 r3 E+ `* P& A/ u: S9 J
grader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before: I, v. U8 w. ~' T. I% r$ n
deciding whether to take the class.
: O/ \+ X) \$ L* S2 X+ s7 u+ {: F
. p- t3 c7 S; J"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she/ h1 h+ }* h% v/ W. o2 f
told her daughter.
9 g( z: B& w+ K! o7 B
+ ?8 ~4 A# c1 T% h' {5 B/ I- QSahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite
* \/ {* O8 z0 n; H' o* Bclass.& w: A; E" A0 j& @* b1 d+ h! D& }
) i9 U& c, ~. e8 n9 Y
At Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are
" y$ Q+ p0 D, U$ V: |studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without
5 c! u" i9 z" Y6 ?3 c8 O2 o. uoccasional frustration.% L8 q6 C6 r0 Y
) o5 ]/ l& V$ e$ t) a2 N1 D
"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a1 F& B6 H$ O2 \+ J; s- v6 f: G
recent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class./ f$ d. s' ]! L9 a
! ?+ z( ~! R* v& Q1 v, i' e
Raul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he
: [7 W$ L9 J/ c1 etaught words to his mother so she could better communicate with
; h. M+ C) D0 z; d, kChinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.7 f- g2 C" T! |! e
( o; ~6 @8 b* t1 ^9 R
"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul1 |' Z" R! q* H- u ~% f
said. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn
/ m) ~$ O9 G4 c uas many languages as I can."# [5 B; u K6 w$ O; i
6 H7 Y$ u/ l! _$ a' U+ W
Adriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the* S$ ?0 f- z% l
skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job) L8 r4 V' s! y
market. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like
+ } V1 X1 j, k! ~that," Ms. Freire said.
) ^+ `- g% B- Q0 I3 r
: E1 C v; j5 |! a" y t- gMost of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program
9 a# \9 k7 q% w- ?1 `here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each
7 L4 O0 `% i$ Pschool decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking# `4 H# i7 ~' E- g; g
time from classes like physical education, music and art to make- U ~# w! r( Q9 D& M' \+ F
room.
6 E# d- d2 \6 N8 W! Y
- i7 l) ^9 Z$ w6 UChicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer" M+ v% h" w# J5 K7 C7 a0 q
Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American
; Q1 D9 ?9 L/ O1 j# kcollege, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.
# M7 Q, F v! \3 H( `) Y
7 W* U! v0 |! S2 P* o"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified4 d5 F, u0 K- q, o% n! K
because of that missing certification," he said.0 o; e h$ ]2 j
! E S9 y7 q% PThe shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,. x) E' E/ L: X7 n
said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia
1 {. T8 q2 N5 ]4 W! U) e' eSociety in New York.
, d4 }) |" @& [/ u0 D. f
7 |& W9 w0 M1 h! a; v4 ~: m, `8 NSix states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the
; L' b$ |/ W1 N BChinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from3 I- c5 J- }/ T. h+ x6 k3 E. a% I
the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.
4 C- s8 q& _! R& u) h' _( m/ o% [; j2 n7 l G; ^
"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our2 U; w: Y2 x" m, [/ f
own."6 Q& {8 f0 j; P" ?. s& s4 T
' N5 m; W* u7 c J: V6 r1 f# HCopyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
|