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October 15, 2005
/ R6 h5 P/ v- F* g; ^7 pClasses in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity. Q) l4 \' W \
- p& r( B. f. C8 }8 hBy GRETCHEN RUETHLING: }# G" ?( S( v# X& d
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CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the
. q- w9 X0 B( F! rUnited States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary4 U. `: j) f3 x4 I/ X1 \. V
School, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas
* I; `$ c2 F. m7 [0 O5 \dangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese
' [# J! A/ `, {& kflag hang from the wall.4 e$ t0 b+ k% a' z) z
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One recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one
+ c8 w! Q) z0 v/ aanother and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders3 _/ l* \' D- A& _! R9 ]$ J
practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker
9 D2 I5 S9 Y% A. l1 c0 l9 E. cboards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students$ w3 B8 m" k1 `6 x) W! b) O
are already choosing it over Spanish.
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% r# ]9 [/ t. }4 C9 U"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal9 r4 f1 N) l( P1 J: X8 u
at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city
: e& T: w4 {4 i" Z# }7 boffering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."
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With encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,! ]8 _9 ^+ d4 D9 [5 w
schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings5 r' J$ f" l r6 F
to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention- p% b" @- R+ r8 I" x
one of its most difficult to learn.
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% U3 }+ q/ G2 {" cLast month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to
& ]4 I$ `% T- w5 H1 ~, n0 mpublic schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students/ a5 k+ g2 w4 @
studying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.. l8 o! Q* p0 Q. x+ T/ M. `
Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of) X4 j3 X: P% u; H
Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on! ]0 b$ ]& H' }! e
Chinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to
5 j1 Q) }! B* d( i& r T: ?improve ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.- m: P$ V1 [4 B- V4 R
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After 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement
1 i: j g# g. w: b& fChinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country- f4 c; G# e% D C
starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to1 H$ \6 j! U8 P& K1 U
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing
9 `" r& v- X) R& D) ~: z; J( _5 h9 Qcurriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director
X8 K6 E4 Q9 R: H; l# h* v; {of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.6 A/ _2 W7 h6 _+ {+ q7 _+ J: j; {
0 J2 L! J5 U! B. O"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of
) k* `+ K& e/ Z+ S$ f! N$ e) [speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education
6 O5 N/ y/ j7 D4 `2 T8 G6 F9 x0 o4 cConsulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we
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: F: O5 {7 W! ~9 O JThe number of Chinese language programs around the country, from
8 U9 n0 T9 M$ ]; m( uelementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10
* K; C" O$ t, y& Ayears, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language
1 t; S' P+ P. g: `Institute in Washington.
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4 a5 H+ f$ H. l+ R7 [: k"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages
3 f7 g' E$ }$ w& I- J5 Daren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.
6 W4 H% ?8 U, K6 `2 U- `8 [McGinnis said.
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"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical6 o& `, R' {' F" y
longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be7 }5 k4 J8 {/ I( f
ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a" r8 _) b# K; ]
challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."; C$ l2 d, L; O) d
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Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and- w/ J$ F8 s# Z F% u1 `3 T) X
secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in
3 A8 i4 D5 ^( _3 |9 B/ C2 Qcities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of( n% H! M2 r, a* w7 ]
Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or
$ _0 W2 V7 m- h+ o) @: bon weekends.6 V0 l- I- D. f3 [4 I) C8 i2 G
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The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public
' `. t4 L) A1 b5 Y/ fschools during the regular school day and primarily serves# w! G+ _, R2 X" q
students who are not of Chinese descent.
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Mayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said' }- Z. q5 w& \; w* B4 z
proficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the
! g. T2 Q- @ ?9 X& ?) m" fcompetition.
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! [# q% U' K: D B1 g6 E7 W; s# M# `"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley
" d% o4 K/ d1 [" Bsaid. "There will be Chinese and English."; R s! L4 y0 ?
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From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly! [7 e% M8 p1 N1 w8 y/ E
all-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse
0 W. A1 L' [7 K9 E( M4 {0 {% `+ wschools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from
5 ^- L2 u0 k+ u# d3 tkindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students
* L7 G3 f$ _5 N% x lwho are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to
% P8 q. V+ b8 ^$ C! o" W" W3 ^the school system last year.
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( R, H( m1 J/ e) V qThe program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this
$ Z# ^; G+ `+ p) Uyear 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 own
+ P5 a8 P5 X$ Y" v6 Q+ U4 J1 w* i% Lclassroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago9 ^: M6 L& x, V7 b; r% m$ p
Chinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to
( W1 A8 n( ? \& E Q1 Ghelp students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet
' t! V! K5 A' Z& }on an equal playing field."
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Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese
2 s# g' Q. {) Aclasses are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign
) J2 {5 K$ P. N+ ?- ?' JService Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks1 d! l) L" O& H* ]6 z
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An& J* b6 ~' M* w
average English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in) m0 u! k7 I! _' Y* G5 l; \! f
Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the) q% a) n+ H! w- l& h0 }
institute says." X; J) P8 I8 C9 j5 j# t5 b+ |
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Sevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth& x: J u; {2 k' D% x ]' e; j4 i
grader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before# V# |& ~2 V; D, J2 `4 _# v8 `
deciding whether to take the class.' Q! @7 D3 v% F
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"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she$ `0 s% E* G+ N' p" D
told her daughter.. n) p" j- F8 Y% m3 @, o; |1 z
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Sahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite8 \+ n' J9 R5 e1 E7 ~9 G
class.# a; J i, F/ j" E, Z; c, W
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At Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are/ y( t* O) x6 |6 {& \
studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without
) k( `1 ^: [2 E, f( \occasional frustration.9 q2 c5 d" V% `
1 @5 s) X- Y' A5 K7 b; K0 V"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a
2 p% j! B8 d1 {" Mrecent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.4 U4 w' f( o3 q. n( a
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Raul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he- J% o* u; x z$ r
taught words to his mother so she could better communicate with
; x" N0 X. `7 }% K# k5 k* zChinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.
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"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul, X) H8 r' Z& F; Y. ^: n
said. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn2 Q( U( Z; L" S: w* i3 L& |. A! x
as many languages as I can."
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Adriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the
9 C: x7 v! D) ^" Nskills would help her son be a better competitor in the job# f9 J* B9 @% g
market. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like, \0 `$ l+ a$ g8 W
that," Ms. Freire said. Z' O. M3 _2 i) j
7 l, @) v3 B$ Q& K3 i, c; L \# w( M" A. PMost of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program; z( P% W- i' h7 q' \
here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each
/ L" X+ P( N7 H6 k' d# r' ~& z. t' Xschool decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking
) f( |) u3 s l+ E: [0 ttime from classes like physical education, music and art to make: x! \: G2 J" T: {
room.
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9 N, z: n* V- C! _Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer
( P: i! ?$ }5 V, u- |# TChinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American
+ ^% `: P8 l; |* C7 R. z* ocollege, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.
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, l# n% ^! r# y"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified; p! W9 q' W/ `% G5 a6 h
because of that missing certification," he said.
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& O- i! o* W( V9 I3 z) kThe shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,
; Q% V: v, B, }( ]! F+ y2 o3 ?, I( Hsaid Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia8 x; |0 J3 V9 P/ C7 J% A; q H
Society in New York., M$ ~; |6 _0 @) p6 t
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Six states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the
+ J% m4 I& A* ]: o& H @2 DChinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from4 ?3 } W2 o4 w. W3 l( |8 L
the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.6 j6 y. `* L: h# _" r: F
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"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our
) I6 [+ u' p5 y# d6 @$ ~own."
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- Y4 j' z* W! F1 n, OCopyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
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