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October 15, 2005
% ?2 M9 e+ |9 qClasses in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity
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By GRETCHEN RUETHLING S# U4 P8 |) ^( U9 o. A
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CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the
) _% n( y" k* W% a4 X8 a2 d5 ~( aUnited States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary9 P! s. C1 j' d& \, O
School, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas
# E% ` w; O0 Y+ e5 odangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese3 S$ c* O5 L* i- E
flag hang from the wall.
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3 ^5 r4 E/ I6 V; M: nOne recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one$ G3 [+ X+ z6 h) Q% W: X
another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders' i$ @# y9 t3 h9 P
practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker5 `% S/ m" R, U, n9 Q
boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students7 W1 w* e7 T# C* e5 C) ?
are already choosing it over Spanish.3 D2 x- O7 W6 L2 Y) @5 @5 ?8 g' v
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"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal) `( }5 H+ j7 n4 f6 f
at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city
6 B. Y& i8 [' v/ Voffering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."
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/ D- U( q% ]+ I+ U& c" p5 q8 N* u# @With encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,# q( d) S) D$ Q( h0 o
schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings' c4 }. k9 q. A# v
to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention2 s# I$ P* V0 Y* [/ w/ G5 u) Q
one of its most difficult to learn.
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Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to: w( K* c9 B' _# T- d) o
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students
$ C# j3 Y) D- p+ F! Y! hstudying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.) |6 \$ C" E+ }. ^8 L$ n/ q& g
Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of) ]' Y4 e# X f H! J
Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on) v6 }0 e6 p5 g3 T0 W$ Z
Chinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to# {- u( O7 _4 f
improve ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.! ?2 B9 W! c/ _1 l* m3 H7 I
# L. q6 B5 O v. w8 E: S* UAfter 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement
* S. I. [8 S. j* R4 b2 Y# Y: {Chinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country; n# x* i. S& r8 W# `/ V
starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to
8 D/ e" i) Y* z7 V: `develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing
. z8 |* X$ o7 A. C) M% pcurriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director
% R# C5 ~# k1 T" d# t; Rof the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.
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- v0 [) M2 U3 `7 s$ Z! v9 H- u"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of) N- |: j2 F3 U
speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education& P5 C. ?8 u: ]( ~" t. U
Consulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we
+ G5 ]7 _5 W4 g# O* G h3 `can." 8 [5 k6 m4 j- B8 f& t5 J
7 Y, F) R8 u' M8 P: GThe number of Chinese language programs around the country, from
' Q3 R) X7 v" R4 Belementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10' y5 ~7 k6 i) F( I7 G1 R4 S
years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language2 j) ]" |: g+ a9 F) w" a$ ~8 C7 ]
Institute in Washington.0 S1 H: b( l) f' I
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"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages B' Y7 o' f8 O, M. o, k; q
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.* o8 ?) W* }- M- G( a! W: H8 t/ L
McGinnis said.
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1 S4 Q& l$ x. `) y% J8 p8 K. a"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical
0 k" ~ `) o* ]. R! [; jlongstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be- k* x7 \ K2 ^- b6 f
ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a" D1 e) L8 \3 y* f! ?
challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."
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7 c! ]% |* p6 Z( b* mUp to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and
3 ]; |/ D3 U; dsecondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in' {/ v t" Z$ f
cities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of( R% H1 @6 \( |6 b% X7 c; b8 S3 {- F4 M
Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or, Y7 Q/ a5 D3 M6 o; G
on weekends.% Y6 I- I8 r @6 n- P3 F; ^5 Q [1 |
1 x$ m8 r9 i' a0 J) H, H; RThe Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public/ e7 J+ \5 _0 U" l( Z
schools during the regular school day and primarily serves/ ~; i* `: i8 M% g
students who are not of Chinese descent.8 S |/ \9 c3 H" K' ^
# M* p, h1 D% d4 X" _Mayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said
8 H; n2 c/ O9 d6 Vproficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the9 Q# |. N/ ^* E f- ?" K
competition. 4 V3 s1 r' u" p6 Y8 q
5 Z- E+ d& A1 ^1 j: n) k+ h P+ Z& g"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley9 D! X3 N: C( m s \+ z1 m- G
said. "There will be Chinese and English."" M6 L4 p: @8 p# p4 ]5 M
# g4 @- P! [$ ]) V& H w( \From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly5 W$ | o( p* k Y% O$ D8 u
all-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse: o! F5 |/ i! I9 }$ a/ ~
schools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from, v' y. P. W' ~! c* j3 a4 o: v2 \6 `
kindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students
0 h( |/ a9 y) Pwho are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to
# J4 F( w5 M9 U. M1 r% m9 Bthe school system last year.! ?. x" P0 H( t! A2 z1 G) Y
# m5 x1 b3 c' {& L; a7 yThe program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this6 [6 n+ l0 A/ s1 o+ {* h
year and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.8 P' W+ w. P! h" b7 S
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"They have a great international experience right in their own
/ r3 Y' b$ Q$ P* J% Pclassroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago" k# ~- R2 c1 [3 ~/ C* A ^ l
Chinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to7 d/ ~, f* i6 s, M$ {! E
help students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet, K% l+ O1 g" E6 w
on an equal playing field."
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3 P5 K R. b: m. }Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese
8 F. ?! T' n. l7 G: Hclasses are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign8 Q: u2 ^# x6 l5 E# n. r
Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks+ M) U' L2 g' y, j
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An! E2 V* y) d+ ]' o l
average English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in
- n" r8 U0 O% h% p/ y" R# p# |Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the
; Z! i: A2 v8 kinstitute says.8 A9 O: j; Y0 E- T
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Sevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth
+ W& a" L8 t# `9 g1 Y2 X( W6 Rgrader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before
$ R0 }+ v/ u2 xdeciding whether to take the class.
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"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she& n$ V9 Z; X5 i' Z3 F; x0 L
told her daughter.4 |3 @3 {5 J1 B# p9 |9 V
1 m- v1 z# F) ~Sahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite2 I( Q+ Y: ~" L. i
class./ Z2 b2 Z) n1 I- H4 T0 x U5 D% q4 s$ k
" G2 U$ i$ F6 m, K+ `% SAt Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are
- c' i6 A/ `4 j8 @, i5 _studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without
7 D8 @4 T& g% X5 I$ T0 ]occasional frustration.+ o1 M. w+ i4 K1 l) A: _$ Q6 M! @
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"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a
+ }6 g8 w7 j7 f* G# srecent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.% e; b. L2 |! f/ ]! M- R2 L
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Raul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he
4 ?- B; w7 J4 E1 m: p" ?3 s: _taught words to his mother so she could better communicate with( t& }$ h3 A: I! F% e
Chinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.
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4 d( b5 H2 z8 r: f) h, q"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul9 z; M/ |8 P8 R9 }3 e
said. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn; R; }: L% P0 i- f3 }7 O
as many languages as I can." Z7 l8 i2 h6 `( b" i0 [
& E3 g9 P' m! L6 D1 g( iAdriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the% _' e6 F/ ]9 J2 f1 ?# Z
skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job
: L5 N6 `2 J; n# r) |6 h( l& M: ~ Xmarket. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like2 k" ~0 o% L. _6 K9 e( A/ Q
that," Ms. Freire said./ u- u6 v' U5 O0 J
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Most of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program
/ X! q5 i3 n$ ~' o- v4 \# q6 \here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each( g: j( c' m4 G a0 f! b
school decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking3 \: L- o' x: d% @& n
time from classes like physical education, music and art to make
" _5 N h) \( ^: |5 O" @. J! @' Yroom.7 t/ n3 v y3 z: S; ~7 F- U$ c
0 V$ [6 A. u/ P5 oChicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer& A" m) i/ K7 ^* M! ?3 A
Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American# G1 N% x& s0 a d. Y. b' a
college, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.8 W) L) H! x2 D9 @2 J
6 m% U6 `9 a: `% u" m"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified3 K8 D( V! r, Z n# j$ {
because of that missing certification," he said.
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, A3 S- J0 o k* A# _8 \4 pThe shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States, R' J5 d6 ?: Y- n( z) z: V
said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia
5 T' I1 [ D: xSociety in New York.
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Six states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the& h9 m3 M5 [: U4 z4 W/ @, u
Chinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from8 v1 y- v! H$ @: W/ p" f- l
the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.$ L6 L: n( M$ \; h
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"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our# Q. Y: N0 R& [8 h. b. ]0 `
own."
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: V6 I% z; ]$ e: QCopyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
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