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October 15, 2005' F1 B1 z7 s/ P2 B8 l5 N, i
Classes in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity8 w' |& A% Q/ q! h+ j8 N! P& O
3 x+ I8 o( \7 j! RBy GRETCHEN RUETHLING
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CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the; q" n9 Q4 W2 `. r2 G& S
United States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary. F* v! o/ \1 d3 K* `' J: I8 S
School, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas# i0 q4 x/ D m, [9 Z# i p* r
dangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese
G6 e6 e8 U4 |% D. Wflag hang from the wall.4 K8 @ n" q6 [. x4 h3 `* b( l
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One recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one
. E3 K" D9 O8 g4 z, Wanother and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders
# m$ D' ?$ @7 S/ Cpracticed writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker; {$ T1 y a$ M4 I! c
boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students) k# q4 O" k: n, @$ l
are already choosing it over Spanish.
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"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal
9 L4 L3 T( A. |5 S& _at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city; }+ I& r _0 Q# A
offering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."
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/ y) G3 T* k9 o7 xWith encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,
" d5 n# z$ L4 q( [: uschools across the United States are expanding their language offerings! a8 i1 s2 v( Q* ~) M) G) N9 m
to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention" f" ^9 w! Y0 |6 x' H+ c4 k" i
one of its most difficult to learn.
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Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to$ u o# {: r6 z- ]1 X: f3 ?0 _
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students
+ R* T6 V7 c) c W4 zstudying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
) v5 h; O+ z2 }9 F. w3 h; tLieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of
; g8 x ~5 E; o# `Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on3 t3 ~; O0 m& q; r7 H5 d
Chinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to e# S' ^: N% z) ~
improve ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
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% l" F5 l4 y3 O% yAfter 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement/ f& @$ C9 g$ ^3 U* \0 s" \
Chinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country
0 h% A Z+ [3 }! t' x4 _- Dstarting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to7 _9 Y* Z( P4 [
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing% z: h; D* ^8 t: W# X8 p; Z9 v
curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director% l! }0 q' x. a
of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.' f2 O7 a! Q$ V8 N1 E9 ]4 Y
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"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of
6 r; E$ b/ ^( \) N; `speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education3 h* [: O2 s: E: I2 K
Consulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we5 {9 Z1 y# f1 p( F- h: j& j) \
can." / _8 R! G I' n
! [- f# `) Z2 k. K1 oThe number of Chinese language programs around the country, from: S' ?8 W) z# M k: J* D5 Y0 F; ^
elementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 106 P6 O1 a) \+ W3 d3 `
years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language
" j# f0 a4 L# J4 \! S7 v/ aInstitute in Washington./ w' H* A& q, s. J% p
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"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages
1 a. ~; K; L4 l; uaren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.% |: r# L1 X0 J$ w- g' U7 J5 m- ~
McGinnis said.0 i. p9 f/ ^, a
" q9 }3 W$ h g9 ]5 N"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical
5 t. d# e) W/ g6 v( { `0 g- `longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be! `) n) s/ ^" w+ |4 p
ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a# X9 ?4 @0 T& ^7 m/ z; \5 L. S
challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."4 o9 p0 l, q. {* G/ x i9 O7 |. u
$ r7 M0 @+ |$ w" y2 AUp to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and ?8 F: L" M; _' }5 Y- Z
secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in
3 i. k7 l5 e5 {. x; d# hcities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of& v c5 S: M+ i# J
Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or
7 n* B0 A. o3 {# C# gon weekends.
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The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public0 j$ A2 N( ? `& |4 M
schools during the regular school day and primarily serves# L+ o( n7 L' x8 i# i' F6 U
students who are not of Chinese descent.
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Mayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said: v% q6 {+ m& O6 k" `' b
proficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the1 ~: p6 x( Y. _$ j9 F
competition.
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- o- p" t! C K"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley9 T) K+ e6 C5 P
said. "There will be Chinese and English."
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From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly
) ?* z- V2 d' ?: Jall-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse
: o: v5 l+ X/ D+ w2 o5 pschools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from
' ^* B u) j5 m% K" e# ?kindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students
* d6 q: M/ [' ^3 M F' @0 kwho are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to% x# }6 @! O* y3 r' E
the school system last year.
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The program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this
/ c# I5 n( w( }% dyear and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.$ z' F# Q' |# V, N
( H) x7 V" T9 X- M, x! n/ K"They have a great international experience right in their own
* e# n" i6 c; D+ Tclassroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago- t% r/ E. S8 r5 y- X7 A
Chinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to
! A9 \; v3 h$ _* Ohelp students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet
' s& } f% e6 B" @- ^% _on an equal playing field."' F' v% u* J; O5 V9 p4 |
9 O7 L9 n! q" O$ ?. Z* @3 z/ r2 ?% MSome parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese
; Y0 |9 f# G5 H: y- X& xclasses are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign
# O4 o4 q+ [: c( F0 _Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks( ^0 e0 v' ^9 R$ m7 |
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An
( \6 F; c9 F2 l: Taverage English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in3 _) L( f \* u4 L2 A
Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the
# c. z M, `' [9 e jinstitute says.
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; { G4 |- D& M KSevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth
3 b8 o3 c' u" h" k5 [1 \grader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before
1 z3 G8 U! a& u( ?+ T9 wdeciding whether to take the class.7 U* T$ g- U) ~$ y2 y9 M
/ @5 ]0 _/ R/ _4 j1 R2 a"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she; f1 Q( r0 X1 ?: b3 ~
told her daughter. U8 K8 B# o4 s. h* A$ w" C
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Sahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite4 A' I0 B* v1 [0 |
class.0 G# g1 q$ ]# E
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At Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are1 Z0 K5 I; W9 I/ q% h) L, V/ o( k
studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without+ u4 _& D# I4 C$ V0 L
occasional frustration.
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5 `. |2 t$ `) Q5 Z"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a; b' `7 p; m1 a( H
recent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.
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# Y! O! u3 ~" W0 DRaul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he0 M, o9 p1 R* d1 p' V0 g
taught words to his mother so she could better communicate with' n6 _: @& c' a4 d+ e0 u4 u
Chinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.
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"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul
4 I+ b# ?9 |0 J9 `( q U+ {# `said. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn) E b# i4 M- h4 y0 U5 u
as many languages as I can."
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, f& D! ~9 Z9 r. _& B: C) @Adriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the. e3 v6 U2 e8 G. O6 p! J' _
skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job
1 \+ d) X: L7 Vmarket. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like+ r# C- j& r8 ]/ E+ [
that," Ms. Freire said.4 g; G/ A. ~; O# n/ ^ c3 W. H0 q
; K: L% x+ O% }# k+ _- ?! n% LMost of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program
5 o2 W" j7 g6 q" S- h$ {( ?here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each
5 S- |2 l/ o9 Y7 ~5 A+ N5 f& T5 Xschool decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking, R2 R& F3 p! g& w
time from classes like physical education, music and art to make8 O2 ?) Y3 C+ K; R1 C* Y+ t- n- I
room.& I5 s9 w/ ~6 f. A% w9 }
1 t+ \' p) b8 {8 K3 P7 B$ @$ SChicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer
: {3 m, w6 W% y5 F* |Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American F# S( O& Y' `# N/ L# O
college, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.
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, v' ~) t7 P$ Y$ d6 o"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified
$ u# F& n2 _( H8 l0 zbecause of that missing certification," he said.+ c: @: ?" ~. u
! P% B$ N; e) b0 W h' @7 J2 @+ lThe shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,
$ r9 Z2 C8 o0 L7 _- z: V9 [5 Q1 nsaid Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia# I- V; `" I. A/ W5 I- z) A+ R
Society in New York.& d J$ J5 m# I1 d9 w& ?1 A$ V! T
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Six states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the' I4 i& T9 k s& l9 X
Chinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from
( \) p, ^3 w0 w8 J! fthe United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.
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" h' ?* M4 O4 N5 m, m"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our
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