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October 15, 2005: Z6 ?2 Z$ [' _, k9 o( ~2 q2 h/ ?
Classes in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity
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By GRETCHEN RUETHLING
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7 R2 T$ g6 u0 y$ _1 k3 \5 P! oCHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the
' ~; o& H5 _2 P* X' b) yUnited States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary+ p+ `2 |8 l3 k" V s; M1 H
School, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas
( v* R! T8 B! r6 A7 F, _dangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese4 u0 [8 A2 T3 \/ \. V% F4 l& l0 p
flag hang from the wall.
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+ p. P$ G* T/ ]: K3 @) [5 yOne recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one
' T0 {$ g) ^ c8 }8 B% C- n, fanother and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders3 y4 m5 }* s7 B$ k, |* j+ Z
practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker
0 ?% p6 q1 V: qboards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students- H% q4 ~" ^. \6 U( V( B
are already choosing it over Spanish.
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6 _$ v; y; a4 @( ]4 a$ K"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal
! U( X( v( H4 S/ _at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city
`8 s+ [2 |7 M2 |* \% z5 moffering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."3 z. x1 q+ K5 R$ l1 u
, a; i7 D1 Y8 K ]% o4 gWith encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,8 `1 I6 k2 b x, Z* R8 O4 f
schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings* p% U3 ^& ~ @. ?
to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention% j9 e! S. Y$ x# A- x
one of its most difficult to learn./ m" ?. {/ j( C+ d9 W
7 j$ o" r6 ]# O! V: GLast month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to8 U9 ?# }6 j& l
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students1 q) m# i" G% x" O" G. R
studying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
. N# ]5 t1 K: j1 Z( VLieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of
a+ |; C% r+ K# J; M# ~3 j) fTennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on
. n7 J6 z' M( |; Y# S3 u; W' ^0 Y' UChinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to |: n' M2 \0 N. o' [$ d7 G6 D5 L
improve ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.* r1 U8 L4 ~% Z3 A1 G
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After 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement
) }' X, z3 G" B+ w: o1 tChinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country
$ w7 ]5 A& } p3 Rstarting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to' e1 H1 {7 u8 ]& ~' g C
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing
: H; J, {. F4 p7 M$ D+ `curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director
% y V- X; ], Lof the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.
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, u5 ~7 a9 x6 D: G3 [ f"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of
( x% J, w) S9 ] ?+ G$ A* Vspeaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education' H: o! R- a0 V8 _- Q! S* W' a3 l
Consulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we4 G' S0 |3 @. T* K( S8 x9 g
can." 6 O% V# ` y/ V+ N. K. g0 @* t
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The number of Chinese language programs around the country, from
- D! r8 P& m* P9 r) Relementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10' A( V$ ]4 }1 B7 R* |
years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language# v* s+ M" z4 G4 i, Z
Institute in Washington.
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+ N p1 H4 f' F; i0 g* E. d"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages! P: c6 d1 W& U) S/ P
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.9 S/ B+ C6 B2 K+ Q' V
McGinnis said.9 `) |( [4 Q" z2 h, m: t
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"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical
' B5 U. U* { G: l- E. Ylongstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be
+ Q {; Y' N2 o B2 s/ L. Dready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a( g, I. b6 B. u" O
challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."* r8 @" B+ L. A
" {, v5 I+ x" `1 D7 aUp to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and
& q! ^; N8 n: y8 v$ xsecondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in
0 |% f2 C) O% n G- J: K9 Pcities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of( z" N5 B/ k8 V6 M2 Q7 j# i6 ~) d: b
Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or: S8 t/ ^7 w1 \' z' t/ w+ b
on weekends.
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- b! b g9 `5 R) QThe Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public
, z3 L4 k1 W. u9 A; t" z& c1 @schools during the regular school day and primarily serves* J: v, D K& L! D2 I
students who are not of Chinese descent.& M' E- V5 I/ Z- ^& M7 j$ X
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Mayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said
' l0 ]. Y5 G/ \7 w2 Gproficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the0 }4 b( P8 m- W) u; z7 l
competition.
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- K. U. e4 s7 H4 Q0 ~! c* Q- a"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley
: K/ c5 b9 l; Nsaid. "There will be Chinese and English."2 N. N: ^6 b; \; X' o' H% c
a! b' p6 [; ]. i ?$ R
From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly/ P5 L& C8 h% z# ^; J8 q
all-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse8 g7 X/ D; p: @# e! B6 B) A5 C
schools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from S+ M6 T2 r Y
kindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students! @" B( ?1 [8 ]+ x& l6 y5 K
who are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to
$ V$ {0 H/ P1 n1 G' [0 Tthe school system last year.. j g: E! a" K3 L) b+ T5 H+ n
- j8 w1 J4 |4 |5 N3 rThe program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this6 s4 W! ]/ V% C! P- M: b1 F. u) r
year and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.0 z w8 p' E" ? V
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"They have a great international experience right in their own9 N0 a' B0 a, o0 l+ ^* ]- e
classroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago5 Y% N6 I- S# f# Y
Chinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to5 e. e+ u9 @3 I* v* ^
help students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet- o2 s3 g( B A* E7 E+ Q3 U4 M K2 n
on an equal playing field."
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7 S. S, N& x$ HSome parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese% L O5 P9 w) _0 W3 g( |( K
classes are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign9 {6 @" K7 Y) H3 c2 |
Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks3 _& S/ Y- h3 ]7 _% [6 [
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An
% y; R3 a9 `+ ?, \average English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in
v0 i( I( `' j& DChinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the- H& G, ~+ o4 u$ ]4 t
institute says.
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Sevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth8 d) T$ G7 |. H% @5 u
grader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before4 a N& R+ R0 s
deciding whether to take the class.
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"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she
' [! V4 e- z$ b# B+ m+ ztold her daughter.
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0 s- X1 c# _( pSahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite
( m8 i9 v3 Z' yclass.
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! E/ T5 u0 b# ^ qAt Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are
7 x c1 a- `) i2 z& Fstudying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without# s6 L5 e* o. X. K8 Y
occasional frustration. A1 I [2 z4 h# J& \( p! N- [
: K& V: `- k3 ]7 t"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a
* K0 g* u2 m$ T# ]3 u0 r2 ~recent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.
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0 v0 X) e* m U: SRaul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he
& |/ E: e. E; P& @8 y( S8 vtaught words to his mother so she could better communicate with/ R9 w* E+ x( y! ~; Z* `
Chinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.
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"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul# w+ e9 q- ~$ m' q; e: \- `
said. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn
+ m; p9 t& o# ~4 n; b; j7 fas many languages as I can."7 a5 D, S% A% g+ A( \
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Adriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the
7 [+ w6 h8 i9 T0 s5 a1 Jskills would help her son be a better competitor in the job
! X" y! B7 m( o# l& T4 umarket. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like
4 q3 L; d) ~/ u9 k( Z" r# Xthat," Ms. Freire said.
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3 o( E# l: T; J! TMost of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program
[( z% }1 N% R# {! V9 ]here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each5 Q* t- X3 H; _9 B9 [2 ^8 z7 k1 v
school decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking' m ]# _3 X6 U" [* [" h0 ?0 t
time from classes like physical education, music and art to make
" u+ R- p6 y/ j* c7 v* A, Vroom.
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2 D$ z$ F% ^- b) w; p+ Q8 tChicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer! \$ M3 K0 d1 `; [. M
Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American
3 H* P* m5 `% acollege, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.3 m& Z4 l* z8 V5 ?- v
4 ~) a9 m1 G* ^) c+ I' C a' N. Q"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified
" X! A, V& }, Hbecause of that missing certification," he said.
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: R) U+ E( p2 V5 F! R8 GThe shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,
' `) }9 U6 \' ^said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia1 Z* Z5 `% c2 ~: y' |/ B
Society in New York.6 s0 ~2 P& K* R1 l; x
& e4 k# e9 _4 CSix states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the
" B/ X5 d( |: Y, sChinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from' d/ y2 r: T* j. m, t
the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.
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: t0 W: C; [4 H6 C0 M3 }1 r/ R7 ^"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our' @, M8 r; D. \" d
own." L0 w# ^9 m. F: d2 x
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