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October 15, 2005) V3 t$ i- G- T3 |& t
Classes in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity; p: ?6 \3 Y! s' e9 G* X( n8 P7 w
) b8 Z4 ?1 u3 c' E% ?. dBy GRETCHEN RUETHLING6 I ^ V4 _# x2 {
. M! \6 i0 C& p/ l( A7 kCHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the& d* A6 [! O5 O# r0 { {$ t1 d
United States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary
5 M" I( V+ P2 `9 Q: i' k& kSchool, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas
8 J& t+ t; p9 Z% m- p+ Fdangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese
2 K6 A7 J) m) i) Z1 |. ?/ Y7 D/ rflag hang from the wall.) b1 Q8 N7 k7 _ H& r+ A$ A
9 y: G$ ]- d) V7 b$ l2 u& M9 `One recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one
" u* d% P+ A7 h& B$ Tanother and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders* s* k3 b! a# c1 l
practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker
3 ^0 ?$ X, F# ?9 |boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students
: j, q" M0 N0 c5 b- z; r" \are already choosing it over Spanish.
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8 X0 ?3 ^' M: j- ["Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal
, u' g- ~9 F( k8 ?at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city% q' r& z* f- Q. a- b
offering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."
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* ^1 P$ \ C/ J' VWith encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,
* q1 E# l" i; @+ b5 `0 bschools across the United States are expanding their language offerings
9 d+ L# J4 H( O8 }7 U4 x7 W9 ]to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention7 Z6 ]2 K8 X, n1 n
one of its most difficult to learn. [& r: e p) w+ a, w" L4 V
, ^! @4 F' C: F# F) p7 |Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to
4 q4 Z- k' \! }- `4 qpublic schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students
5 N2 C/ {7 d# A0 cstudying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
$ j- T4 T" I7 y3 U# I) ~9 `Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of0 r' X8 d- [( I6 g- u
Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on
6 E! Y' m6 z# Y5 h* ]- vChinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to5 w9 V" ?/ ~1 |) h/ v& M
improve ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.. P% k& Y: T) o4 {( G9 w
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After 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement$ l' I1 A" G, I* Z" e# r- Q
Chinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country
2 E: c9 l* [4 M l; Q5 Rstarting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to6 N2 B5 H9 Y* y9 P: d' }% I
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing
4 g3 E( K/ c* h* u: f5 jcurriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director
9 U; m ?2 ~0 o) K2 \of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.- V& E% u/ ?3 A/ r0 B
1 C: E5 z- w. i5 B+ I7 ]"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of
+ U6 X1 z' O' w' c0 x' z# |speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education% N6 }- e3 F$ E* |! c% v
Consulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we
& W; n& q& |) S$ r: D& zcan." " |6 X. f+ \/ l. I: @
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The number of Chinese language programs around the country, from
; a, k! [) A# u6 W0 \1 g$ zelementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10$ }1 j6 h# r/ T |* `- Z
years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language
0 ^' ?4 S9 [- L8 q4 fInstitute in Washington.
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"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages7 ` Y7 x% l! l, {; W: [6 ^
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.
& {1 i m2 Y V2 \McGinnis said.
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( }. q- Z0 N' ~5 ^"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical$ o7 W% {; g. y2 {
longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be
8 {% i6 i8 i% \# l: S& x8 Vready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a2 a, v* c; c: {9 {: I" h3 G- }
challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."+ v5 {1 o0 g1 c8 ^7 _
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Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and
; z- T9 |; s! v: psecondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in
3 h- c2 s# c0 M. [cities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of6 v% ~4 P7 z# d$ y
Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or% y9 N* \* b* @+ w2 {
on weekends.
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The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public
" X6 I) o/ ?7 V) Y% R" r$ Yschools during the regular school day and primarily serves
- j9 ]$ _5 u' H% X+ F: f1 | \8 e- v, Fstudents who are not of Chinese descent.
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Mayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said2 G8 p5 d7 ^, Q; O. ~! ]
proficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the/ q% G- {: d! E/ d/ O
competition. % w. _; i2 h0 R
5 q. l4 {' G, O+ r! z! J: g
"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley
% e, Y! S5 [ I2 psaid. "There will be Chinese and English."( C' ]4 U9 ^5 k0 J- R% ]( O
6 l6 K. F3 a) m0 w8 EFrom an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly/ \7 Z9 c {# Y' Z2 C: O' J- g
all-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse! _) U* O" b$ m. W! W( a
schools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from
; O2 q: X, G0 S9 o3 |kindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students6 B" D; `3 D9 O7 Y! s4 R
who are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to
! n$ L# d: T% P8 Pthe school system last year.
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8 b& ^% v" {4 g) M3 C# V0 }The program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this
/ ^/ F2 _/ J8 K+ e! A& Xyear and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.4 C8 l: e( F t+ T
/ b+ {+ M% W/ P+ ^"They have a great international experience right in their own- |0 y( q% s2 a2 i- Q7 l% A
classroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago
" _! P2 y3 l; r& l6 _# MChinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to7 [% e+ Q, `3 D4 h9 D. W0 B
help students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet n: G4 [! C* q; b8 ~7 j
on an equal playing field." H+ D% E+ ^9 X- Z }3 g) D) \5 x2 c
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Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese5 `. l; G/ X+ p
classes are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign: H+ d2 r6 G) e& v/ y
Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks9 q3 h" j9 P$ M
Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An
% Y- R) z+ d. r( D0 { R: Javerage English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in
# N+ W6 H; T; j* K) s% x% dChinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the8 h: V$ Q/ X$ j! t- s5 f( |3 W
institute says.
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Sevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth
. \/ o5 D6 ~, x3 U; Egrader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before' C. \$ a- b8 R0 G5 {$ T3 ^7 K
deciding whether to take the class.5 ]: s7 ?6 I) B. x! |8 B) P
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"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she/ o; L2 G: ]* u0 |) U0 T2 L
told her daughter.
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Sahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite
" l( t! B9 B# X7 W: Oclass.! x/ ^ A$ `8 S& o% U: k. C6 e
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At Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are& G7 R: A" t9 H6 g( m) L
studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without2 @6 {+ }0 U5 y- v1 k! @2 m* \
occasional frustration.
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% Y1 k: k8 ?# o"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a
. g+ ?/ d$ T2 mrecent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.
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5 T% D1 ~" }. A) N# U9 _Raul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he5 Q. h0 z8 a8 `1 m
taught words to his mother so she could better communicate with
% w/ U4 q* x2 jChinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.
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"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul# `! S4 b) c5 _ a8 L+ G7 A3 `
said. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn
7 d% O* s6 `) D3 ?" k* y9 y5 D5 Aas many languages as I can."' l. N8 ^" o* _& p4 X6 ?
# r6 i/ S1 @3 R% FAdriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the
5 B8 e' A4 M, J kskills would help her son be a better competitor in the job
`3 X1 K4 W: m& F6 Q8 h. kmarket. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like
5 ~; }$ W- ^- w4 Lthat," Ms. Freire said./ h$ W6 ^, e5 G! a9 h
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Most of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program9 I0 [9 V) I+ X
here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each Z, N% { r3 X' h8 a( {
school decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking
1 @' B2 ^4 @7 A) u" s9 Ztime from classes like physical education, music and art to make
% x" }/ ~& k+ K3 f& g* {# a- vroom.
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4 j, W1 G+ a- i5 D# t: l- Z. c: H6 E1 @Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer
( F: t) z5 u9 W: k7 \, M' R5 }3 Y' D' DChinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American
( p! \) Y8 a& d) t# O/ ?8 Acollege, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.
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8 v* L6 t( Z5 J) j/ w* Q"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified6 v8 p- V& Z* W) W. W
because of that missing certification," he said.
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9 F& Q/ j- C5 h0 t& z7 w, H, ]$ E/ {The shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,1 [- o. J( p1 s! H2 D! e, }# B
said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia
% o; b: }0 a6 |1 K! bSociety in New York.
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% ~1 {: c7 B p% z6 z! g7 pSix states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the
( m* J1 A* Z$ p% I) a& P; _8 }Chinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from4 R; l" w& ~3 g! T Q5 t( D
the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.& t/ H+ d- t* ~/ ^- u' J: F5 S# p
* y" W+ j) u# Z& S& X% h0 L1 s5 i! m"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our
$ ]' H% N) m' P1 P5 {own."# Y7 i. a( P% l, _
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Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
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