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October 15, 2005
! k9 u* ?+ N. T3 O K3 \- nClasses in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity% V( T5 S% Q# m1 R4 G( J2 }8 J
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By GRETCHEN RUETHLING
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CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the' m, Z5 f5 \. f v
United States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary
6 e8 P% [& ]; C& O% G/ @& mSchool, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas& U/ h6 j6 w- m/ w. o5 c
dangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese
1 h/ L; ~8 M# R2 ~6 n2 Cflag hang from the wall.
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One recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one# H" |$ J- ]( E0 Q
another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders
0 Y3 J2 E" e. l& f7 G/ [& s$ Gpracticed writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker5 F: @; K1 j% i+ h7 K
boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students
- v+ t: x8 ~! E7 q9 pare already choosing it over Spanish.% k3 C8 m' r& H8 E8 a0 }
5 m: G5 {, K+ X5 u" E"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal
/ {2 u8 [/ H+ ]& A) cat Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city
6 o7 q9 k4 ]; H4 Toffering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."
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With encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,
+ H6 Q' d1 H* m6 x0 R! ]* ^schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings
% A0 q! _' V0 E& w' Q5 Z) w+ I7 xto include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention
3 N+ w1 D; u' rone of its most difficult to learn.7 H" n1 K" e7 t" |- E- \9 {
3 q/ E( Q/ G8 r V# z2 u. B# }$ sLast month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to
, b+ F A; F* x+ J( Fpublic schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students
% L7 Q0 K) {7 V+ U3 T2 I: Tstudying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
B* c" D0 _" M/ i5 w& R* BLieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of4 ^- h* f8 `$ W) |' X9 g9 e- k) y5 L
Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on8 w% V$ i& F+ s
Chinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to6 I, d0 \8 X9 r# r: q& Y! j
improve ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.* I. y) ~, y- J' ?5 Q4 E% [7 B
6 |" T& D% Q" Q8 aAfter 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement
% P& e% M$ t, WChinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country9 }& J4 u) ?. Z. `
starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to4 g3 h4 W% Q7 `, `. g1 w
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing
- W* w+ \6 J6 r0 {curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director
* @3 Z j8 [. R+ J" vof the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.9 K: c; H, x: @, y8 \. F
& P3 z7 `( K2 n4 r"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of e8 }& e2 f; R5 x
speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education; q2 l4 ]6 J% o5 d
Consulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we
- _4 [5 ?0 q ]9 p* j' qcan."
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The number of Chinese language programs around the country, from
/ s! s7 b# J' |3 C% {/ v. L8 I, ?/ Belementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10
7 O7 k1 d9 A% M+ cyears, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language' I- [5 n6 U0 L/ t$ m
Institute in Washington.
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"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages! p& w$ a7 x" m
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.6 J1 ^4 G/ h" f( g
McGinnis said.
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"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical" H* c4 e2 i7 \6 W" @' \
longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be1 _) u! `# q6 g. ]
ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a" y$ Q) c/ ~/ v9 P* Y; v# l
challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."1 v4 j+ e1 u8 @& u9 E- P/ Q
7 \! O$ x/ |* h9 v: WUp to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and( m" H. G" F5 l H& W0 q W: h
secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in
6 E- x2 L4 @( h2 Tcities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of
9 o+ E) C' X4 s2 d. DChinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or
9 R- |# v5 _: m5 `% r( ^on weekends.7 K p! m0 i4 s$ [! M
s% `" W! L1 F% a" k$ e! m3 NThe Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public9 _% `4 P1 ^3 `# p( z
schools during the regular school day and primarily serves5 Y$ @) W# U7 ]% ^! Q% _: }
students who are not of Chinese descent.
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Mayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said/ r7 v( B h- B! [ a/ S$ A, d$ P
proficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the
4 a0 _3 k8 V2 ecompetition. 1 v5 c M$ m6 @% r0 l2 j1 J
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"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley
; ]( {5 j# s: b1 `said. "There will be Chinese and English."
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From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly: O# ]6 m- \* R4 X3 F8 U) p1 K
all-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse
! [* l1 }7 M, L3 L) Ischools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from
' f( [. l, V0 \; D8 G9 Y: h nkindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students
+ o$ w0 G/ z8 F2 J) l7 U( g& qwho are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to
. s- B1 I% q6 d* `the school system last year.
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' ~, s: f+ {- EThe program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this5 ?% H% `; E0 \; r. f& ^
year and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.
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"They have a great international experience right in their own3 }# G0 y+ l) J$ d4 i' M: Y$ l
classroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago
7 j8 Z. V9 T* Y0 }+ [# oChinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to
" q, P$ x' V7 u) Xhelp students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet9 o7 W; r: b6 Q
on an equal playing field."
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0 ^% ~( h: D0 {! E5 `Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese* h ]1 G4 j( x {4 |- k* Q
classes are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign, u/ R8 N; r2 k0 C# G% ^
Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks
) K. Z' s9 x4 V7 C, R/ rChinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An
' v2 ^4 x" J A% `; \0 Eaverage English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in {( r1 D* V& A/ n+ W
Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the% V E& K% W% y9 @
institute says.
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, E, M/ H/ c, W+ ?4 J% v" fSevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth
. Z- g6 v* }# e9 {1 E4 b: Zgrader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before
% q" p- U8 S M5 e7 Rdeciding whether to take the class.3 E) ]4 s8 U6 O
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"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she0 y$ j+ u$ G/ m; x: Q) A
told her daughter.
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Sahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite
; L+ R* d ]" P/ I: X7 R8 Cclass., ]7 ~% u+ K, G0 O1 c( \
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At Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are; c+ T* L+ q# n/ l: j+ G$ X( Q
studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without3 q/ s' ~" T7 ^2 U
occasional frustration.
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"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a5 x- S1 E `2 l) g" L" {% J
recent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.
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Raul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he
5 n1 ?6 g7 t8 }& ]1 F! vtaught words to his mother so she could better communicate with
8 E$ n+ E* P9 N2 y5 d6 lChinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.3 [* n4 o, ]; F, X% H
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"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul9 @! x# F& p* D @
said. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn7 W8 p7 M2 X7 T& v* u7 W' ^1 P
as many languages as I can."0 n" n- {9 S. H: Z' H
+ a( E- p; m/ Z4 U' E; j- sAdriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the* S; S3 d0 F: O9 F# ~3 W/ ~
skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job
, _% Q- ?7 u. gmarket. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like
4 ~! g d" T( j* l6 D$ hthat," Ms. Freire said.
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Most of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program& e# x$ `1 `$ S5 n! e
here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each2 l- _& f. \1 X }/ R1 b
school decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking' g) I; ?6 b1 L5 z/ {& d
time from classes like physical education, music and art to make3 K9 N }8 C4 x( e" L" k, ~
room.' P8 `# w# @: c8 m2 L! r. q1 L5 K* j
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Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer- I% D" ]4 c, I5 i$ T7 T
Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American9 O" r2 r, ^$ [0 ^% \# q
college, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.; U6 Z1 {' d6 d/ l+ ]8 A4 f, h4 t
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"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified
1 D) d$ ~! Q/ P$ Z* R- l Rbecause of that missing certification," he said.# H7 C* T5 [: C3 D6 o
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The shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,+ m4 M* H- U+ x# q7 ^; e
said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia
8 M- N: a1 D4 [$ rSociety in New York.. N' k6 k ~5 y1 W E! b
/ I7 X6 [- V' V# b0 fSix states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the
9 r$ j' ]3 Y/ g# RChinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from
, X8 D2 y( W! z; p! }2 a& uthe United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.# f1 M; A: f4 O
* Y. v# Y! t& G3 R* \0 B"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our
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Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
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