The bi-lingual CAIS school in San Francisco uses many of the tools and teaching methods that are used at the Chinese Language School of Connecticut.
For more info on ways to engage your children in learning Chinese please visit: www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704461304576216613309652724.html?mod=wsj_share_facebook
By YUKARI IWATANI KANE
San Francisco's Chinese American International School has long had a reputation for strong academics, but it has grown more popular as a rising number of non-Chinese parents bank on Chinese-language skills for their children's future.
Lianne Milton for The Wall Street Journal
First-grader Martha Chessen gets help from instructor Xiu Geng in a math-in-Mandarin class at the Chinese American International School, where a growing number of students come from non-Chinese backgrounds.
When Christine Chessen decided to send her oldest child to CAIS eight years ago, her blond-haired daughter stood out among the sea of mostly Asian or half-Asian children. Her stock-trader husband opposed the idea, and friends thought she was crazy.
She went ahead and enrolled her daughter, because she wanted to expose her to a completely different culture. The move made sense to Ms. Chessen when she learned that there are more native speakers of Chinese in the world than those whose mother tongue is English or Spanish.
These days, her daughter isn't so unusual at CAIS, a private school that instructs in both Mandarin and English from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
"With the rise of Asia, people are finally jumping on the bandwagon," said Ms. Chessen, a stay-at-home mom who now has all three of her children—a first-, fourth- and sixth-grader—enrolled in the school. Her children, she said, are growing up singing Chinese songs, playing Chinese instruments and learning Chinese calligraphy, which she said she now considers all "part of our culture."
A recent survey by the school found that CAIS's non-Asian population has grown 42% over the past decade and currently makes up 27% of its 472 students. The remainder are children with partial or full Asian backgrounds, though most come from non-Chinese-speaking families.
Even though the school has increased its overall student population by 35% since 2000, it continues to be difficult to get into. More than 100 families vied for the 25 to 30 pre-K spots available next year. In the lower grades, instruction is half in Chinese, half in English; in middle school, which starts with grade six, 35% is in Chinese. The day school, in Hayes Valley, costs about $22,000 a year.
CAIS's growth is part of a nationwide trend as China's rise in the global economy prompts parents to seek Chinese-language instruction for their children—including President Barack Obama, whose daughter Sasha is learning Mandarin.
The San Francisco Unified Public School District said Chinese, including the Mandarin and Cantonese dialects, was the most requested language program by parents of kindergartners after Spanish for the next academic year. There are several public Chinese schools in San Francisco, and a new Chinese-language charter school is set to open in the Oakland area in the fall.
While there are no overall figures on how many students take Chinese-language classes nationwide, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages said it saw a threefold increase in the number of public-school students taking such classes to 60,000 in the 2007-08 academic year from three years earlier.
Programs like CAIS's carry little risk, said Marty Abbott, director of education at ACTFL, because even those students who spend their entire day in another language eventually catch up to and might even surpass their peers in English-language skills.
"The beauty of immersion programs, whether they're partial or full, is that students spend a considerable amount of time hearing the language and develop it and use it," Ms. Abbott said.
At CAIS one recent afternoon, a Chinese-speaking teacher led a kindergarten class in a game. The children sat in a circle around a collection of sea animal toys and tried to guess which were each other's favorites by asking questions in Mandarin.
On other floors, a fourth-grade class took an English spelling test while a group of seventh-graders practiced playing the Chinese yue qin guitar and the zither-like guzheng in a music class.
Tzara Geraghty, a tall, 13-year-old eighth-grader, plays the yangzin, a Chinese dulcimer, in a Chinese music ensemble, loves to eat tangyuan (dumplings made of rice flour with red bean, sesame and peanut butter fillings) and is looking forward to a coming school trip to Beijing.
Tzara, who has been at CAIS since pre-kindergarten, said she didn't realize she was Caucasian until she grew much taller than her classmates in fourth grade. "I never felt like I was different," said Tzara, who also plays volleyball, basketball and soccer.
For parents and teachers, it's a slightly different matter. Jeff Bissell, the head of the school, said the greater number of non-Asian families has prompted CAIS to adopt the more collaborative American educational approach along with the traditional top-down Chinese style.
Even then, there are challenges, because teachers are dealing with parents and students who are unfamiliar with Chinese teaching methods, such as the rote memorization required to learn the written script.
"Ten years ago, I could demonstrate how to write a character and make sure students got it, but now we have to break down the steps more," said Kevin Chang, the lower school's director.
Last year, the Parent Association took an extra step, holding a Mandarin 101 class for parents for the first time. The goal was not to teach Chinese but to familiarize parents with how the language works so they could understand what their children were learning.
Ms. Chessen said she values the school's lessons. "What my kids have learned about the Chinese culture they apply to the rest of the world," she said. "It makes us feel like we're part of a bigger community."
Write to Yukari Iwatani Kane at yukari.iwatani@wsj.com
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Chinese Language School of Connecticut Open House April 17
Nearly 25% of the world's population speaks Mandarin Chinese. Yet, very few American children study any foreign languages at all.
Please plan to join us on April 17. For more information, www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org
Chinese Language School of Connecticut Open House April 17
-- CLSC Welcomes Prospective New Families to View Classes and Meet Staff --
RIVERSIDE, March 25, 2010– The non-profit, fully accredited Chinese Language School of Connecticut (www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org) will hold their annual Open House with guided tour and demo classes on Sunday, April 17, from 10:30-12:00 at their Riverside location: Eastern Middle School, 51 Hendrie Avenue, Riverside, CT. Registration for Fall 2010 programs begins May 1. This event is free, but spaces are limited and registration is required.
CLSC Principal Daisy Chen Laone, explained, “We are inviting any families or students who are interested in Chinese language or culture to visit us and find out more about our school and our programs. We offer weekday and weekend classes, Before and After School programs, cultural workshops, winter and spring break programs, summer classes, private tutoring, and AP Prep sessions.
“Anyone interested in attending our Open House should send an email to Principal@ChineseLanguageSchool.org to make an appointment,” she continued.
According to CLSC president, New Canaan resident Susan Serven, “CLSC offers our diverse student body a unique opportunity to explore Chinese language and culture through innovative, hands-on, age-appropriate programs. Students do not need to have prior experience in Chinese in order to attend. We offer interactive, engaging, customized programs with small classes, designed to teach Mandarin Chinese to non-Chinese-speaking students, using U.S. teaching methodologies.”
Serven continued, “CLSC faculty members are all native speaking teachers who are required to undergo a rigorous training process of a minimum of 75 hours per year, in order to make Chinese language learning fun for younger students, engaging and exciting for elementary school students, and fairly rigorous for older students wishing to take Chinese in high school and beyond. We have designed our curriculum to include benchmarks and measurable objectives which allow all students to become as proficient as possible within set timeframes, while engaging their interest in learning about a culture which is more than 4,000 years old.”
New Canaan resident and CLSC Parents Committee Chair, Janet Leung Fonss, noted, “Our daughter, Ava (age 6), loves learning Chinese at CLSC. She doesn't think of CLSC as going to ‘school’, but as a place to play while learning Chinese. Every Sunday is a new adventure - whether it is learning numbers and animals through playing board games or learning about the Silk Road by making paper tissue quilts in Culture class. The CLSC teachers always make learning Chinese fun through age appropriate FUN activities. We could not be happier with our experience so far at CLSC!!”
Old Greenwich resident Robyn Wasserman, parent of a child who is studying at CLSC, said, “"Our family's experience at the Chinese Language School of Connecticut has been wonderful. The teachers are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and highly educated. They have challenged our daughter to learn Mandarin and have made her experience quite enjoyable. We would definitely recommend the Chinese Language School of Connecticut."
Harrison resident, CLSC Board member Darwei Kung, explained, “[My wife] Terri and I have explored several alternatives for our son’s Chinese Education. After comparing different options, we decided CLSC’s communicative approach to language learning is best suited for our child to learn Chinese.
Pelham resident, CLSC Board member Jeffay Chang, noted, “We have found CLSC to be an engaging and relaxed atmosphere for our children to learn Chinese. With two children already enrolled in the school and a third that will be attending in the fall, we look forward to working with the school to further expand our children's cultural experience.”
Wilton resident and CLSC Advisory Committee member Zheng Wang said, “I was a Board member at CLSC long before my daughter was born, because I believe in the idea of having a community where children with Chinese heritage can get exposure to the language and culture and form a bond among themselves, and I admire the entrepreneurial and can-do spirit of the parent founders, board members and school leadership. I enrolled my daughter last fall when she turned two, and have been going to classes with her ever since. We both enjoy the experience tremendously. My daughter asks every weekend - are we going to Chinese school? I'm impressed with the level of energy and creativity our teacher puts into every session. The 'low-fi' crayon, paper, scissor, glue format really gets the kids engaged.”
Orange resident Sue Chang, noted, "CLSC has continued to build a progressive language program in tune with technology, and is now launching an online-based homework help session that will enhance reinforcement. It's very exciting for this to evolve for our students as our teachers are dedicated to enriching their learning experience."
Manhattan resident, Wendy Feldman Wainapel, explained, "We have sampled other Chinese language learning options [private tutoring, after school programs, small local Chinese schools/classes] but the curriculum and educational goals were not well formulated and there was no continuity of staff..
CLSC has provided exactly what we were looking for: a formalized program; a well trained, committed, stable staff; and, a well-defined, engaging curriculum where each teaching level builds upon the previous one. An extra perk is that there are culture classes which add another dimension to her educational experience.
Our daughter loves learning Chinese! She has made great progress in speaking, reading and writing which has been extremely gratifying to both her and us."
Event Agenda:
• 10:30-10:40—Principal’s opening remarks
• 10:40-10:55—Demo I: For students 5 and under
• 10:55-11:10—Demo II: For students 5 and up
• 11:10-11:20—Registration process and policy
• 11:20-11:30—VP Art & Culture, Katy Chen Myers introduces CLSC Art class
• 11:30-11:50—Tour of the school and culture class observation
• 11:50-12:00—Q&A
To register to attend CLSC’s Open House, please email Principal@ChineseLanguageSchool.org.
The non-profit, fully accredited Chinese Language School of Connecticut (CLSC) (www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org) teaches Mandarin Chinese as a second language to children and adults in their weekday and weekend classes, Before and After School programs, cultural workshops, winter and spring break programs, summer classes, private tutoring and AP Prep sessions. CLSC is the only fully-accredited supplemental Chinese language program in the U.S. which uses U.S. teaching methods in order to engage children in learning Chinese.
For information on the Chinese Language School of Connecticut’s language and cultural programs for children and adults, their Before– and After- School programs, special workshops, private tutoring, AP Prep, or corporate language programs, please visit www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org or email them at info@ChineseLanguageSchool.org.
* * *
Please plan to join us on April 17. For more information, www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org
Chinese Language School of Connecticut Open House April 17
-- CLSC Welcomes Prospective New Families to View Classes and Meet Staff --
RIVERSIDE, March 25, 2010– The non-profit, fully accredited Chinese Language School of Connecticut (www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org) will hold their annual Open House with guided tour and demo classes on Sunday, April 17, from 10:30-12:00 at their Riverside location: Eastern Middle School, 51 Hendrie Avenue, Riverside, CT. Registration for Fall 2010 programs begins May 1. This event is free, but spaces are limited and registration is required.
CLSC Principal Daisy Chen Laone, explained, “We are inviting any families or students who are interested in Chinese language or culture to visit us and find out more about our school and our programs. We offer weekday and weekend classes, Before and After School programs, cultural workshops, winter and spring break programs, summer classes, private tutoring, and AP Prep sessions.
“Anyone interested in attending our Open House should send an email to Principal@ChineseLanguageSchool.org to make an appointment,” she continued.
According to CLSC president, New Canaan resident Susan Serven, “CLSC offers our diverse student body a unique opportunity to explore Chinese language and culture through innovative, hands-on, age-appropriate programs. Students do not need to have prior experience in Chinese in order to attend. We offer interactive, engaging, customized programs with small classes, designed to teach Mandarin Chinese to non-Chinese-speaking students, using U.S. teaching methodologies.”
Serven continued, “CLSC faculty members are all native speaking teachers who are required to undergo a rigorous training process of a minimum of 75 hours per year, in order to make Chinese language learning fun for younger students, engaging and exciting for elementary school students, and fairly rigorous for older students wishing to take Chinese in high school and beyond. We have designed our curriculum to include benchmarks and measurable objectives which allow all students to become as proficient as possible within set timeframes, while engaging their interest in learning about a culture which is more than 4,000 years old.”
New Canaan resident and CLSC Parents Committee Chair, Janet Leung Fonss, noted, “Our daughter, Ava (age 6), loves learning Chinese at CLSC. She doesn't think of CLSC as going to ‘school’, but as a place to play while learning Chinese. Every Sunday is a new adventure - whether it is learning numbers and animals through playing board games or learning about the Silk Road by making paper tissue quilts in Culture class. The CLSC teachers always make learning Chinese fun through age appropriate FUN activities. We could not be happier with our experience so far at CLSC!!”
Old Greenwich resident Robyn Wasserman, parent of a child who is studying at CLSC, said, “"Our family's experience at the Chinese Language School of Connecticut has been wonderful. The teachers are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and highly educated. They have challenged our daughter to learn Mandarin and have made her experience quite enjoyable. We would definitely recommend the Chinese Language School of Connecticut."
Harrison resident, CLSC Board member Darwei Kung, explained, “[My wife] Terri and I have explored several alternatives for our son’s Chinese Education. After comparing different options, we decided CLSC’s communicative approach to language learning is best suited for our child to learn Chinese.
Pelham resident, CLSC Board member Jeffay Chang, noted, “We have found CLSC to be an engaging and relaxed atmosphere for our children to learn Chinese. With two children already enrolled in the school and a third that will be attending in the fall, we look forward to working with the school to further expand our children's cultural experience.”
Wilton resident and CLSC Advisory Committee member Zheng Wang said, “I was a Board member at CLSC long before my daughter was born, because I believe in the idea of having a community where children with Chinese heritage can get exposure to the language and culture and form a bond among themselves, and I admire the entrepreneurial and can-do spirit of the parent founders, board members and school leadership. I enrolled my daughter last fall when she turned two, and have been going to classes with her ever since. We both enjoy the experience tremendously. My daughter asks every weekend - are we going to Chinese school? I'm impressed with the level of energy and creativity our teacher puts into every session. The 'low-fi' crayon, paper, scissor, glue format really gets the kids engaged.”
Orange resident Sue Chang, noted, "CLSC has continued to build a progressive language program in tune with technology, and is now launching an online-based homework help session that will enhance reinforcement. It's very exciting for this to evolve for our students as our teachers are dedicated to enriching their learning experience."
Manhattan resident, Wendy Feldman Wainapel, explained, "We have sampled other Chinese language learning options [private tutoring, after school programs, small local Chinese schools/classes] but the curriculum and educational goals were not well formulated and there was no continuity of staff..
CLSC has provided exactly what we were looking for: a formalized program; a well trained, committed, stable staff; and, a well-defined, engaging curriculum where each teaching level builds upon the previous one. An extra perk is that there are culture classes which add another dimension to her educational experience.
Our daughter loves learning Chinese! She has made great progress in speaking, reading and writing which has been extremely gratifying to both her and us."
Event Agenda:
• 10:30-10:40—Principal’s opening remarks
• 10:40-10:55—Demo I: For students 5 and under
• 10:55-11:10—Demo II: For students 5 and up
• 11:10-11:20—Registration process and policy
• 11:20-11:30—VP Art & Culture, Katy Chen Myers introduces CLSC Art class
• 11:30-11:50—Tour of the school and culture class observation
• 11:50-12:00—Q&A
To register to attend CLSC’s Open House, please email Principal@ChineseLanguageSchool.org.
The non-profit, fully accredited Chinese Language School of Connecticut (CLSC) (www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org) teaches Mandarin Chinese as a second language to children and adults in their weekday and weekend classes, Before and After School programs, cultural workshops, winter and spring break programs, summer classes, private tutoring and AP Prep sessions. CLSC is the only fully-accredited supplemental Chinese language program in the U.S. which uses U.S. teaching methods in order to engage children in learning Chinese.
For information on the Chinese Language School of Connecticut’s language and cultural programs for children and adults, their Before– and After- School programs, special workshops, private tutoring, AP Prep, or corporate language programs, please visit www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org or email them at info@ChineseLanguageSchool.org.
* * *
Monday, March 21, 2011
China On Their Minds Language
China on their minds
Language, culture classes become more common in schools
(Does your school system offer Chinese? If not, please contact the Chinese Language School of Connecticut, www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org for information on how to introduce Chinese language and culture to your children.)
As the world shrinks and China continues to grow as an economic powerhouse, more area public school districts are embracing its language and culture in an effort to better prepare their students.
Last fall, Medfield High School freshman Katrina Simon and her family hosted an exchange student from China, immersing the young woman in American experiences ranging from apple picking to shopping at the Apple computer store.
Now, Simon hopes Melody — the student’s adopted American name — can return the favor and be her guide in China.
“After talking to her and learning more about Chinese culture, I thought it was really interesting,’’ Simon said. “I really wanted to go and see it for myself with my own eyes.’’
Medfield’s school district has partnered with a school in Bengbu, a city in China’s Anhui province, for an extensive exchange program. Medfield hosted the school’s principal two years ago, followed by a visit to China by Superintendent Robert Maguire.
The next step was an exchange of teachers, with two from Bengbu visiting Medfield while a local teacher spent six weeks at the school in China.
Most recently, Medfield hosted two teachers and 10 students, including Melody. Next fall, Medfield will send students to Bengbu, and Simon has applied to be among them.
Melody’s family has already agreed to host Simon if she is selected. “She was thrilled that I wanted to come,’’ Simon said.
All of the trips are paid for with grants and private funds, Maguire said.
Medfield started teaching Mandarin in its high school three years ago, and expanded course offerings into the middle school this year. Educators say a growing number of schools are offering the language, with the local list including Belmont, Brookline, Concord-Carlisle Regional, Dover-Sherborn, Hopkinton, Lexington, Marlborough, Needham, Newton, and Weston.
“Most of them, 80 or 90 percent, they added it in the past five or 10 years,’’ said Wanli Hu, director of the China Program Center at the University of Massachusetts Boston, which offers conferences for Chinese language teachers.
Maguire said the Chinese language instruction is helping to prepare students for an increasingly global workplace.
“We’re in a different world,’’ he said. “Making students aware of the rest of the world, having them become cognizant of other languages and cultures, is going to be critical in the future.’’
Medfield is one of 60 districts across the country given Confucius Classroom status by the Asia Society, in recognition of exemplary Chinese language and culture programs. The honor has brought at least $30,000 in grants into the district, with the possibility of more to come.
Simon traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier this year for an event focused on school exchange programs, where she met the president’s wife, Michelle Obama, and Medfield’s school district contributed to the official state gift given to the president of China, Hu Jintao, during his visit to the United States.
Simon said she was surprised to learn how much more Melody knew about American society than she knows about other cultures. Simon was unable to name any Chinese music artists, while Melody was “totally obsessed’’ with Michael Jackson.
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And when she asked Melody, a talented singer and dancer, to perform, Simon said, “We thought she would sing a traditional Chinese song, and she sang the ‘Titanic’ song.’’
Medfield social studies teacher Richard DeSorgher, who spent six weeks in Bengbu, said the differences between the two systems are stark. He said students in China spend long hours at school, and extra time being tutored on nights and weekends for college entrance exams. Class sizes of up to 60 students mean rote learning is common, he said.
DeSorgher said he asked a Chinese-born student living in Medfield for advice before the trip. “He said, ‘Make it fun. The more you can make it fun, the more they’ll want to continue to learn English.’ So I went over there armed with a ton of American candy.
“I think I was kind of an oddity there,’’ DeSorgher added. “I put them in groups, I had them standing and sitting. It was just very different, I think.’’
Medfield’s burgeoning relationship with the Chinese language started when Spanish teacher Maura Batts took a one-year sabbatical to learn a new language.
“I was deciding between Chinese and Italian,’’ Batts said. “My heart wanted Italian, but Chinese is so up and coming, and I thought it would kind of rock my language world a little bit, because it’s so different.’’
Students are signing up for Chinese instead of French or Spanish for a variety of reasons, she said.
“One boy in the seventh-grade class was really into kung fu, and he just really loves watching Jackie Chan movies,’’ Batts said. “Other parents have told their children, ‘This is a new opportunity, it would be great for you to try this.’ A lot of those parents understand the global perspective.’’
DeSorgher said that, in addition to being potentially useful to students later in life, the Chinese exchange exposes them to diversity, something he said the district otherwise lacks.
“With this exchange, it brings in a different culture, a different language, different thought patterns,’’ DeSorgher said.
Maguire, who adopted the Chinese name Ma Bao Bo when he visited Bengbu, said he hopes his district will eventually be able to offer a full slate of Chinese classes, from middle school through high school.
The superintendent said the Chinese program is helping Medfield students make important personal connections across continents.
He told a story of sixth-graders participating in a video conference with their Chinese pen pals. One of the Chinese students became especially excited seeing her American counterpart, Maguire said.
“The Chinese kid looks at the American girl and says, ‘You are so beautiful.’ And she looked back and said, ‘You’re beautiful too,’ ’’ Maguire said. “And they’re doing this in front of 100 other sixth-graders.
“That’s been a very powerful piece for me. They’re getting a fundamental understanding that, as people, they’re not much different from each other.’’
Language, culture classes become more common in schools
(Does your school system offer Chinese? If not, please contact the Chinese Language School of Connecticut, www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org for information on how to introduce Chinese language and culture to your children.)
As the world shrinks and China continues to grow as an economic powerhouse, more area public school districts are embracing its language and culture in an effort to better prepare their students.
Last fall, Medfield High School freshman Katrina Simon and her family hosted an exchange student from China, immersing the young woman in American experiences ranging from apple picking to shopping at the Apple computer store.
Now, Simon hopes Melody — the student’s adopted American name — can return the favor and be her guide in China.
“After talking to her and learning more about Chinese culture, I thought it was really interesting,’’ Simon said. “I really wanted to go and see it for myself with my own eyes.’’
Medfield’s school district has partnered with a school in Bengbu, a city in China’s Anhui province, for an extensive exchange program. Medfield hosted the school’s principal two years ago, followed by a visit to China by Superintendent Robert Maguire.
The next step was an exchange of teachers, with two from Bengbu visiting Medfield while a local teacher spent six weeks at the school in China.
Most recently, Medfield hosted two teachers and 10 students, including Melody. Next fall, Medfield will send students to Bengbu, and Simon has applied to be among them.
Melody’s family has already agreed to host Simon if she is selected. “She was thrilled that I wanted to come,’’ Simon said.
All of the trips are paid for with grants and private funds, Maguire said.
Medfield started teaching Mandarin in its high school three years ago, and expanded course offerings into the middle school this year. Educators say a growing number of schools are offering the language, with the local list including Belmont, Brookline, Concord-Carlisle Regional, Dover-Sherborn, Hopkinton, Lexington, Marlborough, Needham, Newton, and Weston.
“Most of them, 80 or 90 percent, they added it in the past five or 10 years,’’ said Wanli Hu, director of the China Program Center at the University of Massachusetts Boston, which offers conferences for Chinese language teachers.
Maguire said the Chinese language instruction is helping to prepare students for an increasingly global workplace.
“We’re in a different world,’’ he said. “Making students aware of the rest of the world, having them become cognizant of other languages and cultures, is going to be critical in the future.’’
Medfield is one of 60 districts across the country given Confucius Classroom status by the Asia Society, in recognition of exemplary Chinese language and culture programs. The honor has brought at least $30,000 in grants into the district, with the possibility of more to come.
Simon traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier this year for an event focused on school exchange programs, where she met the president’s wife, Michelle Obama, and Medfield’s school district contributed to the official state gift given to the president of China, Hu Jintao, during his visit to the United States.
Simon said she was surprised to learn how much more Melody knew about American society than she knows about other cultures. Simon was unable to name any Chinese music artists, while Melody was “totally obsessed’’ with Michael Jackson.
Tweet 1 person Tweeted this
Yahoo! BuzzShareThis
And when she asked Melody, a talented singer and dancer, to perform, Simon said, “We thought she would sing a traditional Chinese song, and she sang the ‘Titanic’ song.’’
Medfield social studies teacher Richard DeSorgher, who spent six weeks in Bengbu, said the differences between the two systems are stark. He said students in China spend long hours at school, and extra time being tutored on nights and weekends for college entrance exams. Class sizes of up to 60 students mean rote learning is common, he said.
DeSorgher said he asked a Chinese-born student living in Medfield for advice before the trip. “He said, ‘Make it fun. The more you can make it fun, the more they’ll want to continue to learn English.’ So I went over there armed with a ton of American candy.
“I think I was kind of an oddity there,’’ DeSorgher added. “I put them in groups, I had them standing and sitting. It was just very different, I think.’’
Medfield’s burgeoning relationship with the Chinese language started when Spanish teacher Maura Batts took a one-year sabbatical to learn a new language.
“I was deciding between Chinese and Italian,’’ Batts said. “My heart wanted Italian, but Chinese is so up and coming, and I thought it would kind of rock my language world a little bit, because it’s so different.’’
Students are signing up for Chinese instead of French or Spanish for a variety of reasons, she said.
“One boy in the seventh-grade class was really into kung fu, and he just really loves watching Jackie Chan movies,’’ Batts said. “Other parents have told their children, ‘This is a new opportunity, it would be great for you to try this.’ A lot of those parents understand the global perspective.’’
DeSorgher said that, in addition to being potentially useful to students later in life, the Chinese exchange exposes them to diversity, something he said the district otherwise lacks.
“With this exchange, it brings in a different culture, a different language, different thought patterns,’’ DeSorgher said.
Maguire, who adopted the Chinese name Ma Bao Bo when he visited Bengbu, said he hopes his district will eventually be able to offer a full slate of Chinese classes, from middle school through high school.
The superintendent said the Chinese program is helping Medfield students make important personal connections across continents.
He told a story of sixth-graders participating in a video conference with their Chinese pen pals. One of the Chinese students became especially excited seeing her American counterpart, Maguire said.
“The Chinese kid looks at the American girl and says, ‘You are so beautiful.’ And she looked back and said, ‘You’re beautiful too,’ ’’ Maguire said. “And they’re doing this in front of 100 other sixth-graders.
“That’s been a very powerful piece for me. They’re getting a fundamental understanding that, as people, they’re not much different from each other.’’
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