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October 15, 20053 w; a: J% l' m
Classes in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity. h7 S2 y. P9 u: C1 T u- R7 ?
, x9 k' ]5 \- V# \3 nBy GRETCHEN RUETHLING6 @1 J4 z+ {! _, S" w
) k2 R! \+ V1 q; mCHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the
9 q+ |4 h' Y+ B j9 g5 u' f6 ZUnited States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary
; S) L! n4 O6 D% U8 y0 iSchool, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas+ C' S# u5 X: ?5 z
dangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese
( t- d* C$ @9 f2 N* E" T% G! @* b1 Eflag hang from the wall.
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One recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one. T0 D2 [: x" c: t& X/ D1 v
another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders1 G4 F6 K$ b4 l# I- o B
practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker: U, u/ t8 Y6 @5 B$ D' m
boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students: p+ Y# n R$ P% E7 S
are already choosing it over Spanish.
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9 C1 d R; Y) d! |& H3 e8 B"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal; L' J: S, p8 R" x
at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city
% |4 c& q0 Z4 _offering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."7 J5 z) S: s/ y7 F3 j" Y+ x
3 X' L" B# o+ n# F% h( J- I& CWith encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,' r+ M& `* D. B: K0 B/ |3 D
schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings+ P5 ?8 J* T b" q4 [& Q: s ]7 s
to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention
# k$ N1 W$ F N& none of its most difficult to learn.
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Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to% E( d( X4 g3 P' A; d/ a. z/ B
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students
* D G, R. p( p' x4 I3 Cstudying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
' j' o+ Y9 f$ P% J3 \( X8 @Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of/ e8 n. |9 S' Y1 V: U! E! {3 b6 {
Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on
; N& t2 w" o! }, q$ y) K5 DChinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to p4 D+ w8 T- D$ N$ q
improve ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.0 X ?' Q* Q. Y
0 c4 F2 w: F. Q2 N: [After 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement8 T* W0 o ^) x7 R$ @
Chinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country1 |7 r/ S. a9 U# ]; P
starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to/ k. {! r7 l/ W: n Z; k
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing
% Z: l6 C3 T M' I# O- p; C. Z4 |curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director
2 J L: r& R% {5 n6 e' s' xof the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.
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5 f$ R. I& H1 E/ A6 i+ A3 D"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of+ c2 [. u4 t! ^; B2 t
speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education
3 c' Y! I2 R2 O8 E4 M. V. SConsulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we: [" Q, Q+ w$ k) q" `" F
can." 0 D) r0 l e8 E% B
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The number of Chinese language programs around the country, from" ?. W" \- T& ]' t5 E, O r u
elementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10
) {8 L7 w# ]/ pyears, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language
( Z3 X6 o& S1 H fInstitute in Washington.
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0 E: m8 }$ O: A& h7 e"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages: H; D- v8 G% E' D
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.; M* J' n1 Q0 l
McGinnis said.: Z! h8 |3 ]( H% n/ O* N. i; P
2 P- G9 ?: o) h" [2 N/ Z' r"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical' w1 [$ [ Z7 i0 V0 u5 ]
longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be; C8 e$ K& [/ k& g4 l' I T& F' v0 u; h$ x
ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a+ S2 f% y- L$ I$ V
challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."5 P& O. ]" Q7 T" V8 ]- ]! Q2 u @
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Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and
) ^7 k7 M# L+ Y! x7 _1 `secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in5 z! w/ A! G8 q8 E7 _' b& q
cities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of0 p4 Z% Z2 R" V0 |( b/ j: x
Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or4 v% C. q V4 a7 c# v6 s/ N- I
on weekends.$ P- J$ X1 V+ B5 E. ^/ [
3 i$ }% l4 A5 {/ Y1 OThe Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public
; M4 j) A* i6 @7 Z- E2 N4 }) _schools during the regular school day and primarily serves4 l6 \2 E% W' Z6 e5 a! W0 F' }
students who are not of Chinese descent.
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1 ]( V1 v' S4 p6 p4 r% |9 h3 r) zMayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said
( H6 M1 b' e$ d J: P% o# Tproficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the6 s- r7 o6 ~) T5 _+ B' Q2 G
competition.
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"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley8 L/ g- b/ q3 g9 a6 j. Y
said. "There will be Chinese and English."! p, A# e9 Y E& d7 ?* |4 s9 d" W
& Y7 t) T0 O. k" P* ~9 w) HFrom an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly
, R) D, ^' Q0 t& t# d. m* W+ U0 yall-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse
* G; U/ V4 _1 B: Y& H1 u' Gschools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from$ T9 X( P8 S# { M
kindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students! e$ W2 k2 P' j* J( U
who are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to5 t" h- b. S0 i2 _% L: s$ m
the school system last year.
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The program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this+ R9 V8 L4 @# Y# ~/ L
year and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.
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"They have a great international experience right in their own7 f+ F+ o/ U: I! |( {1 h3 \
classroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago
) M# Q1 m0 Z8 q4 H/ mChinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to0 }: k/ j2 b" n
help students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet) ?/ j% G! r. N+ ^) G& \1 {
on an equal playing field."
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Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese7 o9 X- ^" {) U& r G% W
classes are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign
8 u& K' A4 h W3 }Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks K% [ S ?7 }2 a, Q
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An: F( t" `3 U* b* Z- [+ q' b
average English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in" b0 ~; ~3 b, V. R% H% g
Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the) l% e" K0 t, v7 G+ M8 t- Q: ^& t
institute says.7 Z1 `) x. M; |. b( u! K, ^* ^6 }
% k3 U6 S/ N. D+ c" `8 nSevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth
. i7 ?3 r/ e: J) L3 S/ ^grader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before' I. R3 q9 a& E+ p- V
deciding whether to take the class.7 r$ ~, v) D _8 }/ L
4 B4 h) g" T% F# \4 h: I4 ~$ v"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she
) Y5 ^4 }- x4 H; X) s4 w4 o6 Etold her daughter.
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Sahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite
/ H: {8 |% _" `. m. t- wclass.# K3 F( ? e0 x: ~1 Q( b% f. ?
* h- M, q/ T/ ?9 f0 g0 hAt Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are0 a( d. K) t7 m
studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without% m+ [4 D0 b2 l. h3 Q. X( i
occasional frustration.+ x( w' H* R$ J6 _5 d6 a
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"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a
# R% K* D6 s' }9 z5 d8 V" Hrecent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.
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& k$ Q, U8 {* E4 b% sRaul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he8 p6 a8 Z* b- x
taught words to his mother so she could better communicate with3 E. L9 [2 H+ ]3 v) C/ h! {
Chinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.+ j6 `* X$ _0 K7 Y
6 b8 h! W1 N+ o# ]"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul
5 p) K" @" v( u) X6 c& T8 Psaid. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn- I) E, D' X! S
as many languages as I can."# v# p4 m( B6 `# l
/ w) m7 m: A& }& H3 oAdriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the
1 Q2 ?" A* Y" S3 |skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job
6 V3 j8 Q. M M4 P4 m7 smarket. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like
% k+ H2 r; v/ P/ R( l7 K4 k9 T! Ethat," Ms. Freire said.
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2 t) s- K6 p4 A8 F4 O: i6 e' LMost of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program
( O! b) o( R: T$ g7 D" C3 Chere offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each
' x ?5 h- n, A- `! u. kschool decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking: W, q) Z1 _. w1 D
time from classes like physical education, music and art to make- V+ e' O; t3 b+ x
room.
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Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer
8 u$ h: T) C" @9 s: O# ?' JChinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American
. ]5 Y; T1 N6 t1 Xcollege, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.
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# f8 {1 M8 o; X, c- i: q `7 O"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified; n) B) @- v7 U6 L
because of that missing certification," he said.
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+ T/ C' E7 E7 bThe shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,
- S f* E" x! G: \, O' X$ xsaid Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia7 C; _7 I& M# H
Society in New York.3 X2 P0 H7 n7 q) q$ R# V5 k
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Six states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the
) ?/ i* G Q" g% k% q$ XChinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from; ^, { g, T6 z" Q
the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.
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+ F2 t9 z3 }3 o( {* t& T"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our/ W/ c0 X/ l8 q+ J
own."( M, ^7 j0 P) `! H/ [ {; ~8 X% r, [
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Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
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