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October 15, 2005# n4 D8 j! y) }7 `. R1 f
Classes in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity5 b" G8 I( }; H. G
. S9 e# a3 l/ E. x. nBy GRETCHEN RUETHLING
/ ~2 T# ^$ G$ R8 L3 e( ~/ I3 j; g. h
CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the
! D9 u# v5 l4 _) N4 Q3 H/ X' x) PUnited States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary. } L0 G n5 b: P: Q& l9 Y
School, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas
" O# @4 C/ H8 H/ ~8 z) G E, fdangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese1 `- d9 j) ~5 I& P$ _# H! T/ n
flag hang from the wall.9 `- } F1 d7 X
+ W/ {( A) R# n3 d9 tOne recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one
5 C0 J- ]' _' Z6 U5 {another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders
v. o/ \5 O) kpracticed writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker: P# W8 M( u1 ^# t1 l
boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students
. m% o' ]' W5 ~- ~: \; p, Ware already choosing it over Spanish.& Y# b9 O4 s) z; {$ e
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"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal
1 w ?+ a9 @- R8 n! B+ rat Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city. }+ F0 Q+ {) F l# p
offering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in." L5 R, w, `* y0 N5 h3 Q
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With encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,! g' o( t7 V8 k$ `$ f; Q
schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings
& V+ F& X: Z: \3 h+ ]. H% dto include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention
2 R" b6 C9 v N4 [; [3 uone of its most difficult to learn." K7 Q, h/ J" X5 q& X' B
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Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to2 B& Y6 @! O0 T/ d i! m, R* F
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students
: t% x* f9 b ustudying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
) z: `8 W" ]. R% O+ {+ ]Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of9 I* b) M% f* c" V, {
Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on# n$ P6 w1 c: P8 r
Chinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to
& \. U. m/ U! B9 y6 M0 yimprove ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.& o3 ?) |4 h* D7 `4 \' c+ _6 l6 p
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After 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement
; I( V* t$ l, @' t6 @! Y$ x \8 K. XChinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country
0 S! l% i1 D/ w1 m" z5 `starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to
: ]5 x X6 _' Y: Jdevelop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing
1 w: V5 c( H( r$ u( M3 Ncurriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director
4 Q) T% O/ }0 T5 p8 Q( Oof the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.& r: Q; Y4 l7 f4 C- g" w- R7 {
# J' [: |2 P% v% Q; {"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of( v5 X i& J8 l3 r( |7 g/ q/ l
speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education
v. `! ]; r9 p( P. NConsulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we1 ]) N" D/ V; A) `1 T6 f9 m% z
can."
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% V( W1 ^4 ?; S5 y8 Y D1 l1 P) PThe number of Chinese language programs around the country, from
$ B) B/ T' O8 J4 f8 Jelementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10
$ w( S) }) ?% D/ {9 y( V, Yyears, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language
9 M7 c8 p/ I- s3 zInstitute in Washington.
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"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages
6 Q0 p6 N q1 B' i9 Qaren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr.: ]: {' v$ @: N, e) B7 Y E
McGinnis said.# ]5 L5 S- ]' P, x, J
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"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical6 y7 T9 d6 J) e; ?' B
longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be$ w- I- F4 m7 p' _( ^5 w# l2 x
ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a$ z* r) p% O! ^# s! l
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
& @. V. R7 \! @$ t# K2 bsecondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in
! x9 ?; E% F4 U' M3 s6 ^1 k# [cities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of9 w3 c; `" G% K- f3 |# h
Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or: T( Y7 m9 l, [" S& w7 `8 x
on weekends.& O$ \+ u y+ m7 S3 V5 P
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The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public% V' q0 g( q7 L% z' E: f
schools during the regular school day and primarily serves
1 `9 ?6 |( n0 Fstudents who are not of Chinese descent./ C/ i* a0 }: q$ S
, y% @' v/ e+ _Mayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said5 \/ I' W: E4 R0 N2 n! x+ e
proficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the0 ~6 g3 v8 h- H/ Z3 s' U! x' l
competition.
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"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley
L/ b- l% o& U* ~/ nsaid. "There will be Chinese and English."2 X2 n9 u6 t1 b! y# v; I3 B
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From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly
4 a6 _0 }1 Q% z; F8 nall-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse
6 o3 b5 B# G! F! K0 I/ eschools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from
( R" V' \2 S$ ^& L3 bkindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students$ e/ d, [: q/ O1 ]& Z! q8 p
who are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to& \: |8 h+ L' e: \! T
the school system last year.' B @6 E% E+ \; U3 D) b, M* B
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The program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this
; r# r6 S+ R; \ y8 ?! S& \year and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.- {# s6 G% n8 l* n0 ^" C; C9 A5 K5 a
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"They have a great international experience right in their own
; A* ~6 f# G/ iclassroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago4 m- r+ L7 I1 B$ @ D
Chinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to [$ Q# X' H0 |+ C, E Z; I/ c
help students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet
( ^# A/ k& I3 I( Gon an equal playing field."& ~* j7 c/ E: I3 e' B$ ]
4 s' b) R: J+ |* ]$ KSome parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese) \" \8 o. I1 ` [" ~
classes are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign
- `# g8 i3 f: m* h% l5 g" n- H2 [" L( LService Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks
+ Q$ D, o+ A- g& L3 P/ ]" GChinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An
6 M0 ~$ D& V. M5 C& W( Zaverage English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in
, K1 E1 B) s: }, V* j* c' D, ?Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the/ H0 L9 K2 E) G
institute says.
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Sevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth1 R6 u5 P9 W/ R* L4 }1 o
grader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before0 |5 z/ d5 M2 j" e7 \# O3 H
deciding whether to take the class.& f, |( J- }" U5 V# v- m0 R5 w
" x- P, v, n$ U c! V"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she' {6 A# s. s$ ^% p+ p
told her daughter.# O# h3 ?' W; ?2 D J
$ V" f' \% Y* a, f: M! NSahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite5 L* X- C9 S) k) p' Z6 I& L, {+ Q
class.9 }4 K0 N% D+ l3 s/ r2 G
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At Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are
+ z- x3 w; F: k4 ~1 g3 T6 k* g5 {2 fstudying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without
8 ]. ?; w, h, U( p" |/ zoccasional frustration.
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"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a& V8 F0 t# V) F' G2 n+ d" u& z
recent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.+ o/ f! n2 T f: x' U
! m; u* o$ d9 g% _3 C5 ERaul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he& t1 K5 y0 i5 P- s) ^+ V5 N3 Y
taught words to his mother so she could better communicate with) F' ^+ \3 R* Q) O3 n8 [9 y7 n" x
Chinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.; v4 `, `3 g, V
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"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul
; H1 j8 H( |4 \/ ^, ysaid. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn) Z4 R) w5 U( g) O! V6 A. Y: b
as many languages as I can.". {+ [& _5 ^% ^* S
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Adriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the
$ P7 v% H7 V# T0 ]skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job0 {) Z7 e# L/ u6 t
market. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like
/ x6 P" p& V8 N" Q3 m6 M! \, s) kthat," Ms. Freire said.
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; {" n0 C1 L, o' Q8 I! m3 I9 G0 I5 CMost of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program! J( e4 I; _ Z1 z C7 [6 }
here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each
x* B4 m% h% }school decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking
" |2 I3 M& m0 B& Ttime from classes like physical education, music and art to make* V7 S d6 F9 T& J: D2 ]
room./ s4 z$ L2 {( I& F: E3 m
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Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer" R* J/ e; U4 N# C$ o2 P
Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American: E3 t: E! o' H5 b* V
college, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.
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" D9 |9 P: M% X4 s, B' H9 m H0 y"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified
" P+ e' f/ R- J2 vbecause of that missing certification," he said.
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* _, z, v! w$ N9 G( n4 [ ZThe shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,5 S# A, Z }) d, Q6 x8 e
said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia
# t7 H" ?8 n% C8 P& C. W% rSociety in New York.
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# B! s8 [, @/ X, \6 t4 j) N' SSix states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the
( F- R) X0 ?/ T, `" X4 S0 _Chinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from u9 M! C: H9 j3 X8 y( B3 O
the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.
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"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our5 b9 J+ u, g% |9 u
own."" B$ m; i" ?" f& f3 ~" E
& n% y M1 B9 |. u1 |* lCopyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
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