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October 15, 20056 J# h/ G; d9 i& q- k
Classes in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity
6 W6 r9 A$ V; x) l' `# r% W0 n6 o x. {
By GRETCHEN RUETHLING
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CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the
: j+ d2 f( G Q2 DUnited States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary5 | h& e7 T# `& a" v+ j9 f! \
School, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas
4 g8 P# E. ~& R% Bdangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese( K h- S* a0 {3 h9 x1 `" {+ b
flag hang from the wall.- q+ d% ~: o7 M$ E5 {, m `1 `1 K- |
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One recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one
! G, r( P- {( k; M# N5 L+ p+ \another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders) F, s. w! [6 h9 E: n1 G, u: [# L' z
practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker) B( O; K% z" a- K+ R8 ~: n
boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students- W( ]! q( B) I& t+ w' |# U" _, P
are already choosing it over Spanish.8 A5 E. F1 u9 e8 x. ~
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"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal8 G2 q! H9 `, e* C9 S- F
at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city
5 a0 M1 e1 [, m$ `& K. _# Voffering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."3 p8 i( v, O% d( T# W
! c" U! Y" n' q DWith encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,+ N4 J8 k! M0 I( N1 L& b
schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings
) S/ s$ R, V$ T+ M+ s5 eto include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention
" ?0 N x5 \ l" L( |" Bone of its most difficult to learn.. M3 ~3 o$ @3 A$ t% a2 G' I2 k
( d# T: |- t7 kLast month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to' A& s/ j" [/ u0 ^5 Z
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students
8 ]8 l& Q$ Q; W. @- |studying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
$ h( m: O0 l, N/ [& A, MLieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of
- G* Y1 E* _$ uTennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on; k; a( {3 f7 ?+ h, M
Chinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to
$ m0 X3 \4 [9 s. _, N- w. \improve ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
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) ^+ n9 P: z9 s, m. @After 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement
! G& b3 u5 U5 j, E/ D- m1 WChinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country: D4 Q9 K) a, O: Y
starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to
( [/ b0 Z9 g. f: t* T+ M: [$ {3 O: Gdevelop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing
: @2 t$ a6 c2 i2 s2 Xcurriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director
0 e' [4 x, e W) M; C; E3 nof the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board./ C a! N/ S7 _) d8 S# e
+ ~: ]+ j8 Q! X* v7 |"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of
) G& w8 o3 Y/ Qspeaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education
% [) r: O- d5 G2 N1 j+ VConsulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we
H! |2 ~6 c/ x2 \can."
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; r1 \: \0 h6 L& O$ v0 k9 `The number of Chinese language programs around the country, from+ H5 R7 r! N) l! p- J- i
elementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 101 `. `: a+ v S' m* |& v
years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language
. l9 i7 ` Z5 K3 F7 KInstitute in Washington.
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( x4 O/ e% z/ [1 I"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages# j! L6 U) e" u! A% ~4 g( i- n
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.- K$ C; e+ U0 J7 h; u
McGinnis said.
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0 P9 G/ l3 T- b u* f"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical1 ?* R2 g1 R1 M; l) S8 L0 E7 h+ u
longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be0 D- S8 }+ m6 x6 P3 E# e0 m
ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a6 H" T) C9 E. n3 V5 X
challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."
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Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and2 q* b- N/ ?, w# ?, u! f8 \- H
secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in7 [& E% ~( K* a z6 [% t8 r
cities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of& {; g( m+ u4 C z! s( l& w
Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or- C7 f/ I* V8 [8 ~9 U6 o
on weekends.9 N* \, \3 L' V, O5 ?
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The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public6 y" M- l# d$ R# o
schools during the regular school day and primarily serves
& b7 p/ y) k0 x9 v r1 vstudents who are not of Chinese descent.3 C4 m! R3 U" w7 E# |: x: n4 L) n
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Mayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said/ \; H( C. k. _* e+ r+ W7 B1 i
proficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the2 D* Y" f* n: Y9 U1 A- N2 i
competition.
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+ A9 F2 {# e& y, r3 E4 u3 I l"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley
J, A3 z3 ~* f3 _2 [said. "There will be Chinese and English." Q5 c- B" l. Y, b* ?
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From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly
; h9 w- t4 s# xall-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse
) m6 j/ t' {0 _2 Eschools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from9 f9 t0 \ }6 x% K8 T( i
kindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students7 x- V0 B4 [; V4 D
who are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to+ T' ^7 Q7 ~3 l8 f! ~
the school system last year.
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5 X1 R) R# `; r! ZThe program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this: n# P+ e+ g0 x! V. c# ]
year and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.( ]8 H% V+ g7 p0 C7 X* O- P
2 N' G( l# u- ~7 C1 f$ f"They have a great international experience right in their own
l9 L& E0 d1 T- Z7 bclassroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago
) [0 S' x) S0 t- d+ C. \& a' VChinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to6 i* \0 U R! I" V8 S3 p" }
help students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet) k4 y9 K* d4 i4 X0 I9 J
on an equal playing field."1 Z: E+ d5 k* k
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Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese) Z! x* S6 a9 y' R% Q- q6 s8 [
classes are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign; T7 x' m, T3 \4 \* d
Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks
, b; B' d/ g- j( ^Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An3 {4 u& y7 _) _2 n* ~
average English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in/ v& c5 x+ O1 H
Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the
% W: y* f k2 {$ h; u) }+ B1 _institute says.+ [8 m2 p6 z' k2 T( y
' [6 z/ V, E5 `( x- { K! NSevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth
: [8 F) M, `1 s! hgrader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before6 m# T# S9 U( V1 t8 n8 p
deciding whether to take the class.# m* M r( b5 Y. o
8 Y- c7 E" x, v( v' F8 j"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she
; \* ` [5 i( q; Atold her daughter.
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3 d0 R. b% T; T, P. \- P5 rSahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite6 v5 A8 |. Y' ]5 s
class.: W6 g& E0 i# K+ T& w3 W
8 R) d" x5 c% Z. |: w) YAt Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are
; Q' b% p$ X0 D7 z/ Xstudying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without& E7 G. o, S; z o# S# T
occasional frustration.# P3 r; s- M& U$ B* d" H2 G
0 N3 Y( G- G$ o3 [# C" B' n"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a+ E7 V" J/ h' ~8 [5 D9 I _. B
recent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class., h; c3 e- q) E3 b6 U
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Raul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he
' Y/ p0 A( B6 t, Otaught words to his mother so she could better communicate with
4 ?; t. S* w. q7 v7 R OChinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.. L: k R2 Q3 V4 Z
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"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul
; _6 b8 G( {. B% j, ]! B/ G& nsaid. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn$ B' l+ N/ o! a/ m0 x
as many languages as I can."+ e/ N6 X& n7 R" P6 ?
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Adriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the/ E1 x+ ?$ [ M% L$ c
skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job
4 {1 S, h1 {" U5 t* K( v' ]+ omarket. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like3 B7 i& f5 O. l/ ]+ |- A8 B; p: k
that," Ms. Freire said.2 t- z1 X: s- h6 h, V5 z6 k5 S
- O) S2 i) J0 S- x! ~1 `, BMost of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program
4 v3 ^/ g, d- ^8 ghere offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each+ F. N! l( u* h1 K' {$ u
school decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking5 @# e4 H* {7 a2 G& u. ]8 ~3 c
time from classes like physical education, music and art to make
$ R2 C. ?3 e* w e* `' O0 ?+ Groom.
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Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer
4 g! X+ v3 k# B# @Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American
8 y5 R5 u$ Y" U8 Qcollege, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.
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"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified0 @- Z1 K0 D, V U. [4 U8 l% H
because of that missing certification," he said.% T; J: e: L( s i( L
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The shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,* A: P: V* b+ K+ h1 |
said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia
; T7 r1 g/ x# h" F& R6 J% a$ P5 i! }Society in New York.
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Six states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the; t; {6 ^5 S: r; e2 u2 E
Chinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from' Q% X: h, V( A1 B# @/ o
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
5 h* S! n& |/ g6 J, x9 N6 V9 Y& S+ Qown."8 h/ w* E% ^; ^6 W
' y2 H% a; o- m+ N9 {8 A! j) Y$ `Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
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