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October 15, 2005
& n) D+ Y! a& Z: R* K; a' F* \5 wClasses in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity
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6 I# q4 u2 l1 u; Q) N! H$ I6 WBy GRETCHEN RUETHLING" V: B6 r# h/ V" ]4 A! }
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CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the& O( X# K! Q' ~ ~$ N! K3 r! U; q* R* v
United States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary3 h' ` c: }# f( F* s+ O
School, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas% C7 M! K3 k6 e. ~, m& E
dangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese, l- c' h; L5 u$ ?* h) P
flag hang from the wall.( b" v" S: f& T' n* s" }& _) {9 [
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One recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one
6 |: O. }" x1 F8 ~/ R% ganother and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders6 T7 W3 ?4 m* m% n+ E. c
practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker
1 ^$ s% y# c* l7 H0 L9 B4 B+ Uboards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students/ q! \2 n: @: {/ W" u, }9 _4 l
are already choosing it over Spanish.
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"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal3 d6 w8 N+ I" N* x
at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city
% e% w$ b- K- `0 toffering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."; z9 U# [( L: X* m
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With encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,
/ z: k% L- z' f8 b/ \/ Sschools across the United States are expanding their language offerings- E2 T' h, o2 M3 ^4 p
to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention$ ~% c ^0 h) A8 H$ R3 u# U
one of its most difficult to learn.
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2 V7 v, k) {, n Z# HLast month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to9 ~6 j9 u8 z2 ?/ ^- O
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students8 [1 R- q: ]# B
studying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
: ?) t% V& s' o! H0 C$ g. bLieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of8 d3 o1 ~' a1 N9 M
Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on$ {% b P8 r( k" k! ^# v# C
Chinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to
# Q+ L% A& ` W, S9 D+ Z1 M- nimprove ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee./ `5 Z9 B& w1 s' N P
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After 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement
+ h+ B( I q C% T1 iChinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country
2 J0 N) Q# E( ~+ C2 fstarting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to% k* R* d8 r5 _
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing( s: r3 s- v2 c: s' A+ L9 j
curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director
- B) o- e2 ?9 f/ x1 E- Z" Iof the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.
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"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of; \! a2 N0 m% b6 W# Z* \
speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education7 O, e# g& f( [! V
Consulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we
* z3 M* t. f7 ican."
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2 ~* ^; k1 b* h6 ]8 ?The number of Chinese language programs around the country, from
. |/ R2 v3 l$ d, x2 e! Telementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10; _+ X6 C/ z" n$ P$ L9 X# z+ J5 ?, J
years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language; D( \$ @* r# v5 k# l
Institute in Washington.( d* _. Z0 e+ \4 Y+ Z5 h; g3 K
' l5 T& a' x3 M1 j6 c4 N8 v0 y" L"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages3 x7 j- D( K3 u6 X1 h# v+ r. |! D7 i! s
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.+ R3 x: X- j3 N" ?6 D, _
McGinnis said.5 T' J0 Y P4 u S7 C7 Z
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"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical6 W$ c/ Z9 e9 K ]. B
longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be
5 b, n. r+ ?/ R8 _ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a
; _3 m9 ~9 r+ F8 cchallenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."
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Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and
`; o$ z( V% r/ B, J6 B; dsecondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in
3 C7 p" A; H; Q& Wcities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of/ ^; Z5 @" F% n# _: g, Q( ?
Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or
m4 u; Y. i2 W( W- ?on weekends.
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/ H2 O9 n( Z. _# W' V: ? N; ]The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public
D! W4 W L9 o+ q3 s8 F9 aschools during the regular school day and primarily serves2 [# C% ?0 Y6 F
students who are not of Chinese descent.
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6 b6 u( f: @4 j% i; p- u( V: L% AMayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said
" S5 ^* Q2 _1 h# [1 }2 {+ M/ [) Xproficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the
( P' \4 g ~% f% ~# P( hcompetition.
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"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley
+ @. Y3 A, D! s9 |" z/ Ksaid. "There will be Chinese and English."
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From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly
' h. ]- J7 {' I3 D! {1 u; Rall-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse
: i. R# f# H3 D7 Z! P: ^9 {% `schools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from
% N* ^5 b4 h5 h: O! [; Y1 ~& gkindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students
' w% P; W' B. { W* q0 Y- I& Pwho are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to
# P, M, F% O6 a- T2 ?% f4 sthe school system last year.- i" _# ]$ w1 G! B( M
) E* d0 j* c+ ~" R% t* O- pThe program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this
, N# Q6 A$ H6 h% Uyear and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.: H% g" E1 U, ?. ?2 u* i
1 h4 b; P T5 E! T; C"They have a great international experience right in their own
- i. f& ]9 _2 D2 G; m' [4 C, x9 ^3 Bclassroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago8 S7 N0 m) ?% K& H9 R0 N9 E! r" q
Chinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to# w, J: M: B: x6 t( M
help students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet/ T' m6 |) s8 f- g9 A' e' G
on an equal playing field." N$ \$ c1 P' Y( R; x9 w
( }6 |9 ~/ b4 aSome parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese: O* a8 N x, N( m) x
classes are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign
# W- ~$ s0 f8 c* F% {Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks+ }( W' |/ M E$ I' K) D( c/ W& U
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An: P% U2 X4 Y# A8 V9 n! K, V# @; Z
average English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in
' M/ @8 x" _: h- B; B" AChinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the
5 K4 ^* A$ d9 Z+ Ainstitute says.
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8 t# z3 O' r% K' p9 aSevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth9 q/ w+ `% ^( |4 H* ^1 K# F
grader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before1 J1 o+ L) z L; J0 r: M: s
deciding whether to take the class.) m2 H4 k% [# P: X4 \7 `& F( F: z
1 J' v. s0 C. Q% S/ [& a"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she1 @ K. m- p" D8 d# W8 ~
told her daughter.
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Sahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite
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2 |8 j" q9 ?9 ] lAt Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are7 i1 i) {+ Z& R6 [
studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without5 b3 j' g4 \) c) h& ?) Z% i/ r# |
occasional frustration.9 G( H5 Q- D+ G* b( M8 l2 I+ L
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"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a
i% m+ ^; z# p) H. O8 G! ^recent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.
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6 t) V3 @, U3 u' v, t- z$ VRaul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he! Z1 T/ ?7 D2 F3 ]3 C/ W' t5 }0 Y2 V
taught words to his mother so she could better communicate with
5 M& p4 Q9 h6 S6 o% sChinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.( N' f. E4 V2 G: ?5 r
' J' t% w, R% W"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul9 ]0 E \" p' @( Y3 L' P1 S7 L$ _
said. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn
: [' e+ M& G. T2 Oas many languages as I can."7 c3 C0 W3 {% X' h, y) |
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Adriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the. ~# r4 N" K& X2 b# O
skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job" S* v1 i5 S: o( p
market. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like5 T. G2 k3 n6 K! {' {
that," Ms. Freire said.
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Most of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program
" t8 ?" \% @' p( q+ W# O( V2 E# i$ Ohere offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each
/ N9 O) q. c/ g( n/ pschool decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking9 |6 K6 U e& I. h
time from classes like physical education, music and art to make0 r0 [* F2 z& Z$ h$ Z# O, N
room.
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Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer5 r# J. r1 Z' H$ g* Y* M6 X& `# i$ _
Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American+ e: ]% m. x5 C* I; |, ^
college, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.
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# ^" @( `8 }: A' ?/ s T d L3 u5 L"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified, p( }* U, Y( q8 U& w; a& ^
because of that missing certification," he said.% _3 J6 c5 s, ?
Q h# |" P; Q/ V( G: u! ]The shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,; y5 y" L- s" }9 E N
said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia
* `# T9 `3 z5 }7 ]7 N9 p) {Society in New York.5 I& W G8 _6 r4 N6 ^8 J7 {
; N1 g' u. J; ^Six states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the; I1 v, j% l* h _' q R: A6 d/ w
Chinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from, \+ m( C( D" S! |( E1 f( |5 }
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
6 T6 b- R0 i. U' }3 Z- r' d% hown."
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1 J- Y: I; K; }6 x m) Y& g0 K7 o( mCopyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
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