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October 15, 2005
- h- n" L" U" M7 V: d" e1 U1 QClasses in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity
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+ _ Z. Y( ?7 b, a3 xBy GRETCHEN RUETHLING/ z3 ]6 S9 }5 O: h4 {% P
' V0 y$ `+ Q! A; s) m0 l3 w, ZCHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the O+ X3 _5 Y( U% w
United States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary
6 [# h, S0 m) Y+ J4 _6 G8 H! Z* |: _School, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas
* g3 j6 V) R) Kdangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese
% ?5 Z1 M, }# n' C d' L2 S# dflag hang from the wall.! z2 o% ^5 n. [* d2 K8 w" m
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One recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one: x }' r: r! k" M1 j; I
another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders4 z% C# k$ Z1 h' E+ h$ {0 \/ d
practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker( B. R3 i, J" p h
boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students
6 w' ?" X- o* ^. g3 X3 Pare already choosing it over Spanish.
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"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal
% W4 r5 N ^ T4 r5 V$ Sat Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city8 Q( M& v) r* s. [$ T" m: p. ]
offering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."5 K! b. u7 d0 K( R. H2 a$ g% _+ R
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With encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,. r; O ` ]: x" y
schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings
. O' ]) {1 Y6 m5 Y9 [2 Y6 X; W# ]to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention
9 ~" F5 P( l( \one of its most difficult to learn.
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Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to
. [9 ~" A9 {8 Y' u0 O1 j7 j; Npublic schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students- P' r& w* c' _3 k# U
studying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
- E& \: M% o' R5 G! ]Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of
5 Q/ k5 L4 [, b8 D0 I' r5 DTennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on
# W) ^- r- ~+ k3 B& v& S# wChinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to
8 j0 I/ S& ^' ^+ L3 Oimprove ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
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After 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement
9 a4 M# ?0 |& M- K# F; v' o, |% w' kChinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country- g* i$ X8 U* L* \! | z
starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to5 |' m& I, H6 ~# f4 j% d( a
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing* K- ~: M; K8 |) h4 G6 B; R3 L# `
curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director
; a* `! \9 D9 h5 k; H! B( dof the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.5 V- D4 P/ {8 t* O* x7 Q
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"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of
1 k4 e0 W/ a4 N' s) {) f& i4 gspeaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education% w2 R P5 l+ V B# ^* } |6 d
Consulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we' _1 _! i& k& ~# W: G& N6 p8 h
can."
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8 D8 [3 M! ?- c$ P# }* bThe number of Chinese language programs around the country, from3 o. K8 {. P; C, R: Q4 K: J% H
elementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10
) E- R. Y9 {: M& X0 O- jyears, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language/ Q& C% f& d B$ \
Institute in Washington.. z2 I$ n) c. c" N5 O
# j3 J# O# `) M! m7 w"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages) ^* d/ \ M' X9 u2 X2 A
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.3 u2 F1 l* C; f. f; A
McGinnis said.
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"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical% W9 ]6 ]) \: H" w' Z2 e
longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be
0 D. j" f; L0 x0 i/ d# R. fready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a3 X# G$ c5 m3 u2 _. _; B% P
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$ z9 c7 D* R+ @; E0 Z& J) I2 f4 b
secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in
; C0 Z# @% S: E4 [) |cities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of
0 p# D) o/ @7 W5 N2 JChinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or) N: ?8 [8 b" F6 j
on weekends. H7 ]) {: T4 B5 q
4 o5 P- T% K$ m# v% V% p' CThe Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public
8 c$ V0 |! c6 M8 P q D1 Tschools during the regular school day and primarily serves+ w% Z- \: V- q2 ]7 k" [5 e
students who are not of Chinese descent.) A* S5 h: E1 C, `
, y& V. p- `9 [2 W& p0 |3 IMayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said
0 o. I ~: B- k$ U6 f8 g+ w( Jproficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the/ T' F' ?% y% y; P, _( a
competition. 0 b$ v7 E: o6 G! \8 G
E' k& T" V# f, O"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley
+ M0 X# A0 U" n) Qsaid. "There will be Chinese and English."3 ^* H4 C) k" B3 e& z! X
: ]0 s* v2 n. Q% x9 P) p. IFrom an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly
/ A2 k( ?/ G( Z) e" ?3 X% }5 M" O6 jall-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse
; `0 ^5 w, \6 Q& Oschools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from$ B1 W+ w/ A7 `0 U" f) T* _& G
kindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students5 F' ^2 O' Z( d, V
who are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to5 ^# w/ g$ e2 w# P6 b2 R
the school system last year.
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The program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this
; d8 K5 l, y) j3 }# ~- b( E# Ryear and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.
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; q- U, f3 h% P"They have a great international experience right in their own4 ]& R3 ^' {- k/ E, I n
classroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago
: t/ q8 i- B% l1 z; l8 @" _* oChinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to
i8 q; N- {5 b- S% j/ f* H" w3 Uhelp students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet% [" C) Y! W: l; O
on an equal playing field."
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Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese
: U4 I) ^ u; r$ _ [# ?% N1 bclasses are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign
# H9 p# \) \# m' _2 R, yService Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks3 O1 h% C# d* G* l6 [' c; o& b
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An
; {& c. k. L4 S' `0 A& w2 Maverage English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in
5 o: E% N8 E+ ^* f. M0 Q8 J6 kChinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the
/ o8 e, T/ F# Iinstitute says.
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9 O" J: r* k2 {( N/ e4 ^Sevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth
* l3 h; B6 P& k8 z! ?- ?' Z( G) Ygrader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before6 L4 d! W" U! P2 Z1 @
deciding whether to take the class.- c7 g# ~8 [" B# O8 v5 O" B
7 s0 L G; \9 l; e _"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she
* Y4 |& G2 a7 ]$ k* M) ntold her daughter.0 I- v7 {+ Z9 n5 [
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Sahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite
( |: g3 o0 C N2 U$ k% sclass.
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At Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are
. Z4 y" Z6 o5 I, q) N) y6 ^studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without
* n, y3 ~: |8 D: _; V4 Foccasional frustration.
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"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a4 J7 c' l* k7 x* e
recent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.
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/ _0 |" b' `9 w+ r* U; n' P. oRaul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he2 D& }+ S# N% P! x
taught words to his mother so she could better communicate with- O' J, P( E+ f/ G5 c1 c4 `4 M
Chinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.2 H/ h( e5 }( M& _
: s7 O$ i- Y! }4 \"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul
* t6 A" P' B5 [; osaid. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn
- N$ k- c6 R; S sas many languages as I can."
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) x0 \4 V7 k, T8 fAdriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the* V4 Z9 _; O, t& J" g- O' e
skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job p K% Q. m! \% p0 @; G
market. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like
6 z+ F& P% Z! w$ O9 ]# Hthat," Ms. Freire said.' n( O# W7 i" c
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Most of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program
t8 R6 H' Q* O$ o. W/ k8 Dhere offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each4 c1 J8 [& ~% O. r* p& Q) x5 N
school decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking3 t) q% r( d# h3 o4 `
time from classes like physical education, music and art to make5 `# A9 @, h+ j
room.
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Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer% h' ~& _( {5 B; N$ q" J; c
Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American- f. s6 h5 D2 G' T. y8 d
college, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.
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! W! {, E6 e' |5 N; j$ \"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified% h" I. z3 S2 f0 @$ D
because of that missing certification," he said.
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The shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,
9 t4 C3 n0 K Nsaid Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia) s) B& D0 f: h( M& A
Society in New York.
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: w3 _! @# R0 W4 A P1 n8 ^Six states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the
: t# C6 B( q" \6 R* B3 s' f8 k' |, rChinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from
. k3 y# P6 j& T4 [the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.
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"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our: _. i1 w1 {$ @+ G
own."
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! {# O' u/ Y: F' }2 m( Q+ dCopyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
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