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October 15, 2005
- }3 b; i7 ]# G' E$ t1 ~2 O: sClasses in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity
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By GRETCHEN RUETHLING. _; Q8 G5 e% v. |0 W' I
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CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the
! e% }. ^& [# S0 _/ Z! tUnited States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary
# X. ^0 }) ^7 a# y7 JSchool, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas
, H2 M' b2 N' c# h. A4 Qdangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese
^* M7 U2 ^2 X& Z5 fflag hang from the wall.6 T( N0 P2 D* j" u5 }
; }, P# ?2 j- \. MOne recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one7 z; i( A3 q+ X& k# L: @$ S
another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders
( e0 k* f7 q* B3 \- o6 Hpracticed writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker4 v$ h0 P: n }
boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students
8 W0 U" q5 k4 j0 @% [; Z- e9 |- `are already choosing it over Spanish.4 ?+ k" g N3 J6 J' k5 Y
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"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal
( l' U$ z8 p3 _# a5 f3 Tat Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city* m2 a" @9 R+ r" V; T3 j
offering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."; S4 r6 h7 v1 m! J, _( N
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With encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,
D7 O9 _( h' g5 a. c @schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings
' [, |' j0 x; p e2 Z! I( V5 ^6 p0 Oto include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention$ z# k; ]: Z: Q H2 u9 p# C5 j a# F
one of its most difficult to learn.
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Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to: ]1 L5 X" a# u
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students8 J* Y, a" H* m6 L: U2 j* y0 @' c
studying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.1 ]7 F% j% p. s0 W" I
Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of
( N# `% `/ ?) m. o0 `$ {Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on/ W2 p9 |& [. b1 j8 X& n4 O
Chinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to( L) z6 X/ l; h5 B9 Z4 M) M, T( E
improve ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee." N1 S# a) H0 O" u Q* ?; n' f
6 e' j5 D. _, @" k0 e/ e9 sAfter 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement8 _- [! o* X) ]" r1 k
Chinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country
/ L1 B. \% j5 ?9 L% P5 Dstarting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to
. K( h7 Z& v( h" [develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing' r Q' i% u/ C2 L+ x! h [
curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director# ]+ u, p& J. D" w! d" K/ K
of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.
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7 q: D4 `4 r! \# U+ l. v. W"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of4 g7 z8 _# R! G7 L
speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education. M9 A# Y+ r+ w' q+ i% ]
Consulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we) ]* H- E6 P* L8 ^
can." " n2 K$ ?1 m ]$ N8 u
9 m, q& s; U* {7 J$ c6 C9 e* k# tThe number of Chinese language programs around the country, from/ P& h% J8 u) v& ~4 \
elementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10% k0 ?( V2 i0 k4 a
years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language6 m* v8 R7 K! `6 `* w
Institute in Washington.
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"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages F7 \! y! J, C8 f9 h
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.& b! A" u8 H; z- z2 z8 [
McGinnis said.
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"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical
6 D8 U) H6 c. j4 L. w$ Wlongstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be: Y# Y% f; P7 r# ~; `8 J7 b
ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a- f* ]6 A9 }9 {7 l5 j
challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."2 b% s9 a* P+ }
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Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and8 X: U3 {$ s+ m
secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in6 x, g( j3 J* q# Z2 E
cities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of3 \; V1 }/ n1 [7 w6 P6 `8 }) H, v
Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or
- }/ L' C, B1 z2 Von weekends.8 Q; I, S7 k$ D. j8 T6 |
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The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public
3 V9 G3 y# `3 Eschools during the regular school day and primarily serves
# T. z# t' y. \$ b( Q) i; Astudents who are not of Chinese descent.# w* l2 w! v, Y: q% l
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Mayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said: J0 v6 W. Y, B$ T- ~' J7 y
proficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the
' j2 P; c) V5 F/ Acompetition. 2 P! s( H) u" G& `- c7 h& {
( {+ }+ z, D0 {: B8 [3 S"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley( c- E1 \ B) w0 d: ]* w
said. "There will be Chinese and English."6 F/ W) i* Y) y' C
6 X; h% d7 a5 H# f) E( N9 ^5 t! XFrom an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly
( o J' R, U5 P3 kall-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse5 v8 U! n' R4 M7 c
schools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from6 ^; O( i/ R) \1 D( T# V8 D
kindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students
; z) C' ~1 ]- a5 Y! E. swho are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to o6 I' v& J0 D4 b) T
the school system last year.5 }0 J6 L$ u. ]( U9 a1 u$ J- _
- _* l0 m2 T) U' iThe program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this
' o- w5 Z; s, syear and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.
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4 p6 k7 l. U; K, G t5 o"They have a great international experience right in their own/ q- G A! r" v0 [- o
classroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago5 ^3 O: E! O6 d& U; u7 U5 m
Chinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to
' G+ F0 L4 X3 S M9 dhelp students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet3 `. X2 Y4 w& [8 R, u, w/ n6 v
on an equal playing field."+ `: e' j' P( E2 i4 ~" A
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Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese7 u/ ^: J( U& Y+ C
classes are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign
* b; X% {+ p9 J) ], dService Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks0 Q( W3 P4 B4 f
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An' F( h9 A" h+ N. G! }& i
average English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in7 _2 q7 P0 u$ V( e
Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the
/ g) q2 y3 |3 e4 d2 v1 Vinstitute says.
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& p* q' n+ a" m7 r3 m" C1 bSevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth9 S) N: z2 c9 c; \, T9 r8 ^
grader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before" H9 v, |% j3 N/ r
deciding whether to take the class.
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"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she
; k/ u) p; L, _1 }: K; f) o3 W2 jtold her daughter.
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Sahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite. L$ e' ~6 C; W6 Q
class.0 k' p/ x; A$ L# c/ F9 m
: e$ N7 z/ ~6 L$ }" D9 RAt Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are: ~) v# q+ w0 R( T1 L1 y/ K
studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without/ l5 a4 y7 X# @' r2 T) d7 C% |( `
occasional frustration.; G" K6 b) o( L$ p
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"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a! Y5 a H2 o! }* B3 }( I& @
recent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.: @; v! u0 Y/ i& C/ w" ]
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Raul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he
: S2 Z0 J% i* R" q% h2 J& r9 d. J5 Qtaught words to his mother so she could better communicate with1 P9 B4 f J" i8 E; `- D
Chinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.$ z# T8 `/ @. L0 [* P/ j- s- F
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"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul
; o) Q4 g0 f4 E& [said. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn
+ F7 S8 m2 j; W4 ~# Bas many languages as I can.") h0 p) J; d$ g1 v2 t
3 U4 [ ]8 i* [ CAdriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the
: D! V8 m$ N4 T7 g% W. s1 uskills would help her son be a better competitor in the job" e% q: ]. @# ] y' X! W
market. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like- p8 _( A/ e7 i! g8 x
that," Ms. Freire said.9 K4 d: `* K7 g8 b. I- J1 b
# P9 I- F9 I" B; r$ J$ k- lMost of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program, ]4 p9 t( R) s2 K7 @( t
here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each) ?; S) T8 s3 H0 u2 _8 k9 g+ }
school decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking
2 T/ z2 [% {. C+ w. Ntime from classes like physical education, music and art to make
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) L# |' p" P' kChicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer
4 g6 ?4 X; S$ M. l/ N8 BChinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American
! a+ ?. H1 t6 S. d- |college, 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 qualified
. R# {. v0 ^; e4 u/ h, k" obecause of that missing certification," he said.9 _7 S0 i! J( A! O0 s
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The shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,- t" |- w' ]9 S6 i. L/ i
said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia- D# d' G& } ~! a0 J0 b0 a' L: _
Society in New York.7 H1 W9 m( D. R, v1 N
9 ~4 c! i1 z6 |1 w W; KSix states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the0 p z3 S8 s( o( b& l9 O- }
Chinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from; A" f* } F. n6 K; ^5 |. m
the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said., o3 o9 S0 @2 |0 @$ A
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"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our2 E1 \+ u5 w. q
own."
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Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
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