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October 15, 2005
) e' D; Z: B- O, XClasses in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity# ]0 k) E$ c. x' S9 R
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By GRETCHEN RUETHLING% Q4 ^: U/ y. B7 R- a4 h
; u& e% Z$ l+ X+ h% Y' UCHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the
* t( p$ U6 K7 L. MUnited States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary+ T( p) R# e: F' [7 p u
School, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas
D; b4 T4 H$ e1 x2 a5 y7 Rdangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese' l" N# ~7 @! e7 ]8 ^
flag hang from the wall.& I9 B/ k# U; W/ n
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One recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one
& A G! y. Y' }! k8 Banother and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders
6 }: G: B. }/ l# s, q( o: ipracticed writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker) B# q% {5 K: A+ q3 c
boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students
" c: q% R3 C$ P5 Z4 ]3 Aare already choosing it over Spanish.1 ]0 \- f8 S$ u" r
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"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal5 L0 L8 H- E. D
at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city' \% j9 }/ ]4 I/ u3 o4 x( k( C( k
offering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."! x- k% ^- Z b7 w% M" ?
2 S/ ]8 R* w) w w; D" [ q& ?With encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,3 k8 t/ G5 u: Z' K
schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings2 ~8 X. Z. p% P! H0 j7 M& m
to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention. [+ ?. Z" W. K. q8 J/ C8 S# w' U4 ]4 H
one of its most difficult to learn.2 u1 {' H+ O2 p1 D
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Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to9 b+ C- [* E( S7 a O8 G- |
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students
* Y' c" a7 d5 u& K% |: Lstudying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.( ]' o" H" F9 Q- j0 _, H9 Y
Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of0 ^8 l/ V/ V& s: v7 j$ z
Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on2 G" S4 K: |. _$ f( Q( M N
Chinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to
6 X5 G; x" v1 Dimprove ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.' Q& A- W Z/ y$ R* c6 g
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After 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement
9 a$ g- b- f: i/ y$ _6 fChinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country- Z; s6 ^; ~- O& j' l1 k3 d9 \# y. y
starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to+ b, ~! h# @9 z% p
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing% `" H1 }$ ?0 r3 i8 f/ n
curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director
0 q. i, h. I/ Q! m x# Mof the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.+ \9 i: l' k& O7 K6 r j
7 H* `9 k$ B* H) r5 F"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of3 V2 E A( L/ N5 M% l2 s2 Q
speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education
- V- D, Z$ J3 I$ Y' Y; s) T* v0 QConsulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we1 ~2 t& n9 Z3 c9 D
can." 8 O# b5 w) R+ O: u$ P0 Y1 L. Q: u, z
+ C& Q2 e q7 K0 QThe number of Chinese language programs around the country, from
" i7 C- v7 K2 R: \ G/ f3 oelementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 106 j) r0 t& {! c2 P0 F7 V
years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language
: h& p5 [& v. j: d: u- MInstitute in Washington.
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. W$ I, O& \ z' @! D"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages: [2 V3 v/ D; a9 Q; b, n
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.+ S2 W' ^- _, B( r
McGinnis said.( f- l$ }$ C/ r) @2 [4 C7 Z5 k
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"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical, u8 [- _% |5 H' r4 M; T0 p ?
longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be5 l; c& b0 J% D& A, @. a5 [
ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a
0 N. R, Y$ l/ E9 m$ Q9 _8 W5 v* }challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."
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Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and
9 H1 ]* i2 w$ e# A% f9 ^secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in
" u7 p& t# f* Ucities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of
7 y7 [6 V* Z. a v. C1 V9 ?$ TChinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or' t3 F$ P* H% ~5 x! A2 L
on weekends.
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The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public3 _9 P( }$ X1 E
schools during the regular school day and primarily serves
A, Y$ b- J* pstudents who are not of Chinese descent.7 V5 d* s, D3 Y& \
. ?. y5 t& `; A x: V t) gMayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said4 h E- ]0 ^# n/ H+ c
proficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the
* t+ O2 M% z' u% \ f8 B5 c% @competition. 2 G; Z5 Q: d2 {5 R0 j* ]( ?
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"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley
; S P5 j! J( J0 N- Esaid. "There will be Chinese and English."7 t3 ^9 F& C+ [. }
% P' s# i; f+ ~9 X* ~From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly
2 v, A8 r6 s/ Z0 f2 T4 A" call-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse
# y! t- T* e! B, g1 c+ T9 M3 h% Hschools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from
# W1 @) O; z+ v7 pkindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students. a3 |5 C/ {" K$ _
who are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to
( D1 x$ k: {) n+ C8 J0 Q+ pthe school system last year.
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/ y5 [/ x$ G$ G& C: w, zThe program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this
& ?8 k- r- [6 B' O1 |: ~year and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.. L! s* \2 G4 M% b; O
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"They have a great international experience right in their own% ]4 W9 r W/ W9 ?/ \
classroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago: X' x. r" y* u( S
Chinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to- ^: d8 e4 O" K9 ~/ ?/ l: }
help students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet4 f& A! H+ \% T
on an equal playing field."
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5 t+ W( s" D% B5 _Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese
: j! C9 H2 L0 l; D7 _" m& \2 [classes are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign V- d' {/ o+ l' |9 `7 R+ P9 i% A
Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks( C' P3 X; k- Y5 d$ s
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An
7 x' g4 ?% [4 W" }average English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in
* H, k7 s3 D; P b7 M1 \4 Y" w( f* uChinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the
# d7 T% ~! }, u0 E7 k1 Uinstitute says.% s% y& p- j2 N8 V: |" x3 ?
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Sevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth
% J0 D9 q _. V/ ?: C. ^) C% Ngrader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before w \6 a2 j3 X8 ` W/ k% Q, d
deciding whether to take the class.$ J2 y T" }' W
# O# B8 T/ G4 f; f1 ?"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she
( @% ^. o7 P* D9 c7 }' M* Otold her daughter.
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Sahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite# E) O% U+ B. i; Q
class.: W& \$ r8 V" m: J& u
; G7 j9 N6 N: Z5 l8 sAt Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are# v4 x7 V- f! Z" `- f0 ] T
studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without i: Q7 i1 u, N0 d' V2 }1 s& q; E
occasional frustration.0 S0 H+ |+ y1 C3 i' E0 K
6 P C1 k% i" B2 |/ I4 Y. E"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a
7 ]2 m: r* ], h) U: K5 A7 Drecent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class., Y E7 U0 I, z) f( S7 s
- g* `& { A# KRaul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he9 u; b* z% a" l2 @ t, L# n
taught words to his mother so she could better communicate with$ @ t; @$ F! F1 f* ~: J
Chinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.
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7 [1 U! d; W7 N3 l; E+ q8 i"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul$ |0 [+ Q3 W; K
said. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn* L+ s, R" w" `4 O
as many languages as I can."
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5 E: `3 A# M/ ]! o7 a" ]( aAdriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the
3 M1 W: t' e/ K: n* Q/ |skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job
1 m. y* A. t( n4 rmarket. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like6 `" r/ \1 ~$ N% b- d0 z5 k
that," Ms. Freire said.1 f) p# W0 K+ N: I+ y* _! {7 L
( d' l1 O4 {$ Q6 t7 }9 X! IMost of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program4 f/ C& d. S4 v( w6 p
here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each9 O2 ]4 [9 B* A" T& x
school decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking
( j: ]& T9 v6 j, L, B$ k. wtime from classes like physical education, music and art to make( l) E% @" s1 J5 I7 s' j
room.
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Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer
) X" H9 m, J' b' ^+ GChinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American6 T" Y9 l- ]/ Q
college, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.
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+ }$ P' ?" U2 R8 Z/ g"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified5 M1 s3 v3 N% g8 |
because of that missing certification," he said.: [3 ]9 f* ]7 d: P2 O
! s5 k' w. O" @: T) h7 XThe shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,! E8 U) u0 s0 o% |, Z+ X$ c' P
said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia% f, X% r: V+ \9 h* g
Society in New York.- U- ]) [+ G2 E7 H2 ^& y7 c5 f
0 m5 C' H, ^- P( \Six states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the
0 H+ `' P: v" N- O3 O* eChinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from) c+ E0 U, \1 m( d
the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.* d& a* {7 e0 m5 q0 r' I
6 J |5 e9 G3 `" f"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our
6 r7 R9 h% O6 n/ nown."
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R+ ?- B) g) j2 D( b7 s6 JCopyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
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