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October 15, 2005+ @! Q L T0 V( ~& l1 H% h9 ]
Classes in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity- ?+ L6 G* X$ `7 B1 ~* [5 ]6 ^
, X3 c+ h( O2 t o$ l) {- YBy GRETCHEN RUETHLING& C: `) b* `' u- y) @
. H/ _, I! D: U C# \CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the
6 V+ j% r' _6 T: @1 M' F k. |United States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary
' N# x% m0 }1 i- Z% E7 K2 o dSchool, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas
8 N) M9 \3 O+ I2 O3 {dangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese Q1 U7 s/ U) L4 B
flag hang from the wall.. O. N* b" J8 H- C" V
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One recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one" k: v5 `/ ^: v N' @$ M
another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders& Z) T5 N* W9 l: I
practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker. d2 g1 S6 G3 [9 E j, s5 m7 D
boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students
. b% c/ N, o6 L; \+ i+ Fare already choosing it over Spanish.
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5 D8 E1 Y* d% _9 P D"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal
% J+ L, F( L% O( G: W- P9 v3 fat Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city; k0 \2 X# e" \- |2 x
offering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."
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+ n t7 j( G- C, ZWith encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,2 J, I' C; u" l3 S; J. L6 I: q6 x
schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings
0 w! A. a' J; Q- H) M8 \1 }' Yto include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention7 g1 [ V$ O7 _/ k
one of its most difficult to learn./ V! I( C( r- ^" ]) E$ @
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Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to+ D+ J" H4 i" w' l
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students) O3 T: g( R$ H ~# y' _
studying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
" O. z# G9 ]3 v9 u; ^4 h" cLieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of
3 n0 `, N }! c1 y gTennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on
+ ~- f8 A# h7 d q! s' w0 xChinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to
! T( d* T1 d% J' r" V4 gimprove ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.& J, G8 z" o1 f* v+ n- E
; |) V. q. m' i" lAfter 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement* x. M6 C1 \1 \" x
Chinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country0 i* x/ M' e" I6 H: V5 R
starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to5 U3 R( ]% c. k1 I- B0 t! n
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing
" f* M$ U2 q3 ] Acurriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director9 |3 |2 t# b' f) f. z
of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.3 V- y! Q6 k) P- s
7 o/ M! @3 n: [* L& w/ r"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of+ H" F+ Y; ?/ X
speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education
: e1 z9 J$ T4 u; WConsulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we" C4 \' T$ A/ s4 A3 i
can."
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' Z3 `: J* x. L2 F4 R QThe number of Chinese language programs around the country, from
( |. V% R- [: z# Q9 x+ Relementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10
* _0 ^, ? e) s! b# _years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language
& `8 _4 S) F$ J. M9 Z% {Institute in Washington.
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' g" d1 m9 E% u4 ?"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages, s" d5 m! u4 g+ E% o
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.5 j7 S l) H5 U/ n6 @' f( ]! L( x
McGinnis said.
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"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical! t" c& R8 ?+ `2 ]3 `6 n% c; H8 ^5 l$ F
longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be# X1 ] Y% I i4 G0 i; P! S; a
ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a' E4 [/ a! _6 |, n p
challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."
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Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and
% ?; W D. ~/ H6 e$ {+ ?2 N6 Dsecondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in! G, C2 M5 b6 W8 |
cities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of
9 F3 s/ n+ [' Q; X \) z: aChinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or
2 d/ j" o# z' ^ V: g; [8 Gon weekends.
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The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public5 u& R: I4 B5 Z ?/ l9 a9 G$ j
schools during the regular school day and primarily serves
! M/ Z( S1 G3 [9 Jstudents who are not of Chinese descent.( D* j* A* b, t+ Q6 _2 ]- T
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Mayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said+ W v: q" d0 q0 ?
proficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the5 p7 O! p0 S! U- ]
competition.
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4 J$ t4 [1 P0 b"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley; A% G8 D% G5 {5 b, c6 F3 A! z( N3 k
said. "There will be Chinese and English."
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From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly, y% ^" w9 Q9 @% K; h# m
all-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse: y' W1 F, u" q/ E
schools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from
$ @7 K7 q0 {$ D- m; ckindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students; v+ N t/ o; D! X( R
who are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to- O/ a" E4 C% v* z# W# D( G
the school system last year.
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* ] q4 L" b" Y6 eThe program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this
/ c6 I* R. B) o+ j4 Q5 Ayear and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.6 R, ^; _2 L- O8 k: m" p5 \$ Y
: g8 c" B4 D& ]; F% }1 n* \. R"They have a great international experience right in their own
^. W2 R0 T/ o7 H" l( |9 P% |! J/ A- oclassroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago
6 a2 K: T, z: m) f2 Y3 Z, qChinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to
, O' d* p( [+ Bhelp students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet
+ i% p: j/ m1 ?4 ^5 don an equal playing field.". P6 G" X: t5 H, s0 v& M9 |* q
2 ]4 b( ]& F. W3 s9 XSome parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese
" `% r7 z+ Y1 n/ _+ m$ cclasses are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign
5 w0 Z# d: v9 q4 B8 lService Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks# S. ^* ~$ ?/ o. a; x) r p* {( C
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An
& W6 r2 ?5 z' |/ b4 _8 j Z' eaverage English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in' m& ~. O5 A, l& X: n
Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the
) x* _# a) S; z5 yinstitute says.+ ~: f5 ~) V; V+ f; i
# N8 J; ^9 n# u N" v LSevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth
) B% F( e# X% \grader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before
$ E/ K5 Q( X, S0 Ideciding whether to take the class.( B% e) h9 E E) o7 G$ S. I- g
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"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she0 R) D' Q1 N( f+ ^: |+ z
told her daughter.* H% n' l3 a( X# |) Z
/ Q8 K: o2 E" j2 F/ o+ OSahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite
( y- F3 F5 T$ [class.
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" W0 N) u3 P: h& G, @: xAt Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are0 E9 }2 O9 Y! N9 H) t
studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without
! x# G, w/ { Z- c: }% E) Moccasional frustration.. D. g/ G# A" \0 g* Q
: r! i9 N C7 U3 N' e& t"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a& U- v+ ~8 g5 v
recent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.
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5 Y$ Q5 f6 T# q8 t1 _9 SRaul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he
9 v( z$ ^3 ?9 a4 r& T! Ptaught words to his mother so she could better communicate with- `# b( W; A: v7 z* J6 c. M* E
Chinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.( U4 v/ E) Y' y/ Y
0 i+ D5 U/ k2 i8 z"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul
5 O7 F# E3 w/ csaid. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn. n' F; x7 m6 D
as many languages as I can."
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Adriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the/ g) i- p7 I" U% V+ X: p% d% [5 i. H
skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job& [/ X5 d1 ]% V8 C# c
market. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like
0 T a$ R6 F/ \ S6 h+ pthat," Ms. Freire said.
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Most of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program
4 O9 L* T- c" A. ]here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each
2 S2 n9 M4 u( f9 _5 z8 @" k5 Bschool decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking
" `4 b3 e" l3 C, ^! O* Ktime from classes like physical education, music and art to make9 }8 F9 f0 r# U. a6 ~' b9 U5 d
room.
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Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer' Z# E1 x( G; d3 [" L& M, r
Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American
: h7 o0 m" {8 t5 c: `college, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.
4 P! J/ p9 f1 _5 n" h
' L; I# a% ^4 w" x"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified& d0 @+ A9 e$ O
because of that missing certification," he said.3 k* @: m+ F$ ]* f& `, U' c
2 j5 @4 K1 x) b/ P' y! g5 pThe shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,
! P% B: r' S/ @1 xsaid Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia
. b4 F) X$ ]' O8 @( W8 z3 Q* [Society in New York.
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Six states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the
6 u7 e3 B( n) y. G f/ {8 SChinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from8 V( ^( [8 X; h$ u* B
the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.# }1 z( z" @4 P1 M
( ]8 b/ N8 ^6 t' o" o* a"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our
! V3 s+ H& ^; J# [. ]own."
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# A' H4 n8 ^1 i, D! g# MCopyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
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