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October 15, 2005
/ P+ J, D5 Q2 n7 mClasses in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity
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6 p, h. |- E, @$ Q, B: o4 MBy GRETCHEN RUETHLING; F0 c" B: E' R0 {4 K# @- e. p8 X, z
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CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the
$ g& p R p! g2 _& r( PUnited States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary
1 w; a0 b: D. E& l0 c& WSchool, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas
6 p- B( x4 H4 X% X5 M; R$ G1 v5 [dangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese
. h2 f1 F- u! R f, l" b6 p% Zflag hang from the wall.3 h7 ^, q) }+ E% [$ `) {* x5 J
1 Q; \. C( _! |# `; I) ~$ f- Q( jOne recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one8 M% ^6 j2 k% G3 l" N. e* ^
another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders
! I0 X5 }& `4 t K$ N; j! h: Npracticed writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker
+ _2 A8 U& M. p+ w# O6 p1 y% zboards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students6 Z' L( j& w7 b7 w* g
are already choosing it over Spanish.5 T/ ^$ K6 A4 `7 R/ c* ]
( u' \7 a; k# n$ I o6 l6 C"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal6 L: C. y; D8 S5 ?" U7 o9 l4 r
at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city
4 u$ ~4 K3 o$ Ioffering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."
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With encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,# Q# q m* M- T$ v7 q* Z
schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings t% B; K$ s1 k, I# \
to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention
) L. L b' b( ^ `: aone of its most difficult to learn./ t6 E) {# s2 z2 k6 G% Y$ O
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Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to" i2 k% B6 M$ }, F
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students
9 n7 Y" p: Z2 ~* m0 W- {studying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
* w: v( {- b! {9 h4 ]2 JLieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of4 t9 ^7 l! J5 t% U# h& _# ]$ ]7 m' j
Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on
2 v5 c8 H! `9 z" Y6 mChinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to9 I0 D. T% \' _: g- V5 X# ?
improve ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.5 w8 g" m. }- H3 J9 M! ~8 s% i6 z
* @4 ?, ~0 m3 i/ s) sAfter 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement
2 V) W' a- ~! `# H- f5 B# cChinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country
; p1 Z( @, H# D0 V8 Z. w& ]starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to/ ]5 D1 O( A5 u* z- T
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing. q: h& L8 V4 f8 ^
curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director K* O2 C8 {4 x6 E2 s$ H
of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.
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6 {) y9 g1 J, J D"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of
1 H9 W6 s, x; v. O( `3 S, M1 {speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education
9 v1 Q/ \3 v0 {) z# ZConsulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we' X2 P( q5 e L; q
can." - f2 X+ i4 X* \% _3 y Y' X- `
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The number of Chinese language programs around the country, from
6 y; O1 c1 g' t& J6 x, M* I! V! F6 @elementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 105 x1 N/ m- i1 a/ J' \
years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language
, Q% o0 D6 m. g6 Z! u# F' OInstitute in Washington.
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3 W* o9 ^0 d2 _- a! k0 `"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages! ]+ x$ j+ ~4 i3 w4 |: S
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.
7 @2 p/ u3 p7 `* j& H Q# Z% ?McGinnis said.
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"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical
T. ]) ?( t L2 o4 D8 |- X, R6 _longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be
* j0 O8 `! e3 i) nready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a
0 g: a6 i3 _& n2 T& u7 ^) }- K2 Ychallenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."
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8 _2 Y+ l9 A6 o. x6 Z. ^, I8 `2 ?Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and' J9 T" W2 N7 t; C; ~9 k
secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in
% k# h2 v9 ^5 Tcities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of
) ]/ y* n6 d7 b+ P/ WChinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or
3 P$ G0 }' \) h; ]3 b* Q' B: Yon weekends.
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! w. x- z4 t$ S) wThe Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public
Y6 W" X( a, G5 ]% ]schools during the regular school day and primarily serves: z+ y! i5 z7 N9 n7 Z
students who are not of Chinese descent.# e7 I5 E1 X) Q. H6 \! Z2 I- O
1 o* T ?, Z4 B( V& r+ qMayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said
+ O3 l- W* Y0 Wproficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the
$ c1 B1 }. l. V9 R0 ccompetition. , Z% Y" J6 J! D
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"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley% o/ d% I. @5 @, K8 C [
said. "There will be Chinese and English."1 P- t2 L3 Q0 Y& t# e# ]
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From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly. j/ z, a# s# E/ E+ z
all-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse
' Q( |. T. E4 F0 Wschools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from$ x4 f8 W9 d9 v3 Y
kindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students) y" i: I; B: c; t' G
who are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to2 T: {1 [0 c H* D" F2 N* _0 P( j
the school system last year.
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$ P; l7 E" M$ ?1 ]4 C8 iThe program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this
+ T+ h3 E3 ]9 `3 uyear and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year." r2 y' B! U6 ~: N" S; @# }
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"They have a great international experience right in their own9 l) F% M3 c; G+ R( U% h
classroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago
; [# G$ l; X/ v" IChinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to
+ ~0 K! y% d& A# }. N6 }help students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet
+ Z* H) v6 z1 B9 [9 Kon an equal playing field."
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Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese+ h4 C; i5 E Z* r
classes are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign
& f3 D7 ^/ _8 Y; TService Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks- n4 v# W# P" g X( W4 C' j: I
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An
& j* X" b$ ] vaverage English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in6 B+ t# I8 b: N4 j0 s. C+ V
Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the
5 p: z$ x/ z/ O4 q# Oinstitute says.
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Sevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth
, v5 T- H$ g1 w- [grader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before
, |/ g {+ X: C$ a3 bdeciding whether to take the class.( B3 y$ }2 z- y1 w F
( n# u$ ]4 }) u7 k) w* d b% v"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she* n; |+ v3 G& O3 G# ]! E, H* W/ l
told her daughter.
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4 q4 }5 g' ?( n. n) o3 Y- x% xSahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite
1 ]$ L. c3 D \. uclass./ w8 [1 z c2 |& B( R7 S
' |& o& [, `& Q: t4 O6 OAt Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are. s! V3 _. F$ O
studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without4 j6 U: U# A6 \6 n6 y& ], _# E
occasional frustration.4 _; \4 s5 m' I6 ?7 P* O1 O& q
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"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a
0 t8 U; D# G' N( h8 jrecent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.. C) b Q: z% A- V0 b
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Raul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he
) ~6 W; D0 Z, ftaught words to his mother so she could better communicate with9 x3 {1 R2 Z' v1 J( C
Chinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.; L# h* E3 V: Y. q
4 Z/ H% D9 K$ i$ F! W"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul
+ \. ?! X: Y5 n+ ^& V8 Fsaid. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn2 d* i9 A0 Z! i8 C) p
as many languages as I can."( ~( J6 f8 r& g
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Adriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the
1 r2 L+ o+ v) n) i3 j: e. x; Mskills would help her son be a better competitor in the job
4 S3 H7 q! Z& Jmarket. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like* J4 L8 G Z+ z. f, m
that," Ms. Freire said.
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1 l/ `, H) x0 i& h: aMost of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program; ], Y, |# W# P( p; _/ ]* e: G' e0 t: Y
here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each5 x% Z* ?7 Y/ y4 D" @- L* ~9 N- V" z
school decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking! I$ K0 a0 O+ m# F
time from classes like physical education, music and art to make! s0 _7 K' W5 d% `9 n# L$ C& `
room.
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Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer* w5 f# v7 i9 P% i! R( F. `
Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American
; \* C! c; D0 v5 j5 s& K7 o" lcollege, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.
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' L5 L5 E9 G8 W% c( I, U) P9 F: }9 O"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified& f; w# y# a1 x5 z
because of that missing certification," he said.
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9 X) p1 P4 D# c0 p3 Z4 }( I/ M% XThe shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,$ G% ~# S, O* U1 ~+ U
said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia
1 F3 B: y% |* H( [Society in New York.
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* M$ z( D J- i5 c vSix states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the
+ J& q3 }; ?* a- s% ~Chinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from/ G/ x8 _' C1 e, t& P& w9 t
the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.9 l! L& ~" ^* d! C
% |: p& `( N* l. g8 r9 Y"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our
8 p+ ^, v) X- _; g1 Eown."
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1 Q! b" o! Q& J" FCopyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
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