 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
October 15, 2005
6 h1 n: x- r T/ o) \Classes in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity8 a2 b+ u5 f) h) W& c. Y9 ~$ A. J3 g
% m4 G! a7 Y4 s
By GRETCHEN RUETHLING
, s1 `1 n5 q' e) f+ a9 v& K- y8 D) e0 t
CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the; x/ B; b1 d7 q/ n) ?3 E/ C
United States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary
, o: G1 J2 p/ T! V- iSchool, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas1 `; w2 d9 k5 c1 r- A
dangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese: K+ n& I5 Y) k; Z9 g
flag hang from the wall.
& {8 W0 t5 T/ {
, O- p' n, m" P& f& S8 p- r1 nOne recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one% N! ?& I$ F6 P/ m
another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders% j0 w" \0 } ^! P a
practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker
) @' Z9 F! A5 K# e1 Q( lboards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students' S1 ~& |% @2 Z( d& [
are already choosing it over Spanish.
! L# K4 L3 T7 j- R, }* `6 Q' ~" z
8 h$ N8 H" D1 Q# k"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal$ P8 L" [& {) S% L: ~2 t) q9 E
at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city
* m1 ?+ f9 O/ F" b6 O+ x5 G& uoffering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."3 B' y" @, l3 x! e
5 D# v/ Z. N/ y
With encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,. {9 h2 G; j6 ]) d; l) o1 p
schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings5 h' T4 x# E: ~; K U* W! u* G( Q
to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention! W' Q [9 U: G# N0 f
one of its most difficult to learn.
2 f P9 h; _) E* f$ j- p0 A- @* C: O; D# O, M0 N
Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to5 l! j" N: n9 a4 {
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students
# _* v: Z3 W, o' astudying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.. ]1 d& t, d0 j% f `
Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of
( Q7 A+ r7 g6 z0 OTennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on
( N* k( L8 [' r: y& kChinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to* E) t0 O6 ^2 \. E
improve ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.2 Y4 D- R9 Z! L$ `0 L- R3 o
8 z3 ]5 l5 Q- F# x5 T- f: NAfter 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement& C+ d7 K/ L% A0 [5 E7 K
Chinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country
8 I2 B$ u9 g, rstarting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to5 |5 B, [7 ~* d: ^" k g, H; r5 w
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing" S7 w$ [/ D, {" W$ h, [
curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director/ E; ^% p0 ^6 L' h
of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board./ L1 S8 D/ A5 t
7 M4 ^0 b- W! h1 R2 r( A
"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of! `. x3 m6 V$ l7 t& Z
speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education; o4 W0 m4 t3 ?) s
Consulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we
7 X" r3 L2 _8 e8 Y$ Scan."
8 Y8 O7 ?$ m9 `" G/ f+ {
" U0 k; Y# c- V$ ~& V$ `The number of Chinese language programs around the country, from
3 P0 @- R9 P' b+ felementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10- G% y# J+ f* C! j! a7 m! M* [
years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language
* ~0 G) S6 _, ~! {) B% d% eInstitute in Washington.4 A/ K" D& q/ E$ a8 w; l: c
! g9 {. Z, q: r& }2 K+ A2 Q5 Z
"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages
, J3 d7 w" e5 \1 k$ r/ x/ O6 {aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.
3 C; w6 o/ d6 MMcGinnis said.
h; i' w7 R R: _2 q( y4 d; T
( e: J( f- X6 E"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical# ]5 T. E+ o/ A# N, L* [
longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be2 n8 [9 v5 E3 S6 R# V% }
ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a! U5 C! j- H$ E* z1 o
challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."$ Z2 j" V& I4 F- S1 |" W6 ^; L
, i* U. B/ V1 j6 _7 i Q
Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and
3 m- f/ ?2 T4 e# S9 i: g3 ysecondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in! ~; _. ^/ P( O
cities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of- k# l7 Q& a$ K/ w6 U! b
Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or7 w/ g: m: i5 S/ s2 N: ^
on weekends.
& P" g& b3 J; ~" |+ G) \7 n; g& e, H4 i- W1 b( O+ @ e3 |
The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public+ G$ V+ m# t9 r+ |' P
schools during the regular school day and primarily serves$ r+ s& E6 R5 \+ q7 t1 X
students who are not of Chinese descent.
[" e& p7 A, b+ ~0 J/ L! x/ z
) q. B5 B; E( M5 j% k" x1 d* uMayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said
: A$ q7 I, W8 p0 p' g- b" V1 ~7 D, Wproficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the
2 V% W. N2 O0 {! n7 ncompetition. ; w. t0 |5 U. H+ j
9 Q+ [. d I4 F8 k2 ?: l"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley
7 e4 z3 g% E' m( Hsaid. "There will be Chinese and English."" L5 \$ J, l4 _6 [9 c" F
) T# c$ I4 e* _: V& K
From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly9 \( L# G, j1 Q7 D# [4 A& p
all-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse0 a' i7 o! ]( [3 c( v6 q; p
schools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from
4 G5 Y: K9 k4 \- P, M9 Z0 Nkindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students
! G% }) q+ Q, cwho are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to
2 Z- T( t) f5 p# ithe school system last year.
9 _, [% L) a! p$ a& X; H& D
8 V9 Z# x4 l5 {+ U& LThe program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this! }! ~/ Q/ `2 v3 E
year and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.4 r. r+ K; u- [7 e) n& ]+ a4 q1 S
4 R/ x n F* _. {1 z% l, m
"They have a great international experience right in their own- _) w- ^/ H' L0 i% O' g# E; {
classroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago$ ?; F/ c, Y6 V
Chinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to
+ f0 c; ]. \" u9 g0 }; c) ]help students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet
( t- K0 b* q* q. U, X6 Q: p. don an equal playing field."$ q- I. \8 |. p R
2 U) p# y: k( V8 M. S3 T
Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese( I3 ?4 `) ~/ y5 X8 e" \8 q
classes are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign w3 Z- V; k$ J& Z2 A# V, }0 T$ ~: d
Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks( |4 j* O5 @& ]- g
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An; v1 ], i: L1 w4 H, F
average English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in, ]- O4 V0 s8 ]$ P, H9 l w; u$ R) O, m
Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the
, h- p8 ?6 e. r6 u7 `. t! l yinstitute says.
0 `1 O9 r# `$ { G4 N; W l
1 {- c) v* E+ E- Y, c- ESevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth
0 B( g1 ?$ u5 y4 N1 X1 Mgrader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before
J8 w4 c/ ^( J$ P; P1 J6 cdeciding whether to take the class.5 \# X# _# k% A. k. W
. A* D3 d" L7 v% N' H"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she
/ n* Z; @. v% i( A& w; mtold her daughter.
6 t2 i' V* b4 x7 U2 G
R8 }( X2 D8 Z8 \/ I) L/ a. @7 wSahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite
2 g# f2 ]1 W' R0 |# nclass.0 ~: h+ n$ T% }: z6 M
R0 H% R/ ]3 u; [4 L8 F0 I, S
At Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are: \ ~2 C' L0 Z& s1 U" [
studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without
" a0 Y6 g, N: p6 u" |. N+ ?occasional frustration.% q' Z/ b6 ]8 H
) T1 i6 J* g# e9 R5 {! x3 b"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a6 \: j4 i0 I* [) H/ `
recent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.
) s$ \' E3 [' _! V0 _5 Y/ e& o, n# U
1 U* C. s l, D: MRaul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he1 M0 U$ ~& \' g& [7 a) Q
taught words to his mother so she could better communicate with" l- @+ B& b2 a7 W% V
Chinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.
7 n y; }- I9 Q% R8 O0 m5 l! [; ?0 a$ W5 K% K0 s5 P; g* F
"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul
$ I# p# U& j) w# w$ j7 l1 Dsaid. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn
2 D' P' n0 K! `' V6 was many languages as I can."
( W, C8 g* K) i, l. z# m
. @! y0 n7 s8 o( `5 m6 n4 xAdriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the5 [, b0 B+ }9 {# U) A3 j
skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job0 k$ a2 r: u8 p% G# R
market. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like( K9 O: @2 f# z5 @9 `
that," Ms. Freire said. l6 V) G" y& n
! y @, H6 e, A8 A# I3 W+ F
Most of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program
) T" J/ J5 h8 Z6 k* H/ o5 o5 R+ ^here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each) K6 g1 S' |" M2 k# R T0 ^
school decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking$ D$ c8 p) |) W2 ~
time from classes like physical education, music and art to make
4 v4 P; y/ t: c+ ]' T. M3 \" ]room.; B; s% G% s0 ?3 N2 X4 ~' u8 Q4 N
7 J5 s5 [" f# D& S5 `Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer( `3 `/ w$ \0 P
Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American
. T% U _0 `$ \! kcollege, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.; S' _0 E+ K, ^$ L' l8 t
" D" j, w( M7 D# |% X
"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified2 B9 t: ?# k9 O5 n4 v
because of that missing certification," he said.9 E- l' T: m7 I0 x b( N0 F( R/ w
$ V* d L; u; t
The shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,1 x( O w5 v, ]# f
said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia, t% z$ Y; s% s! `% b3 f
Society in New York.
' ^# T5 E: ]" q, T
. u" v( P" H% c0 Q6 a9 D- }$ g' NSix states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the& W3 H( X* G# S6 h$ e
Chinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from
8 } Q& \+ D+ r5 ^the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.& [' B) |' X: [- }
5 R! X# x3 ]+ m5 S- B5 z1 J"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our, I, c1 |4 J/ S' b7 ^
own." Y% z8 P8 R; j% `, T/ j
3 `- B* x1 @+ ~/ } H! c" h0 L
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
|
狗仔卡
发表于 2005-10-18 09:29
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
楼主
