Chinese Language All the Rage at Local Schools in Birmingham

My family and I had the opportunity to meet with these two teachers and grab a bite of lunch this weekend. What a remarkable opportunity for them and for the kids at this school. I think it's remarkable how so many schools here in the Birmingham area are expanding thier curriculum to a truly multicultural experience. Looks like some uncommon things are happening in Alabama and it's a good thing. I included the article to give some background on what's happening here.

Chinese language all the rage at over-the-mountain schools

HANNAH WOLFSON

News staff writer www.al.com

For the latest addition to the curriculum at Highlands School, the school's director flew to China.

She came back with a suitcase full of souvenirs and the resumes of two teachers. During the coming school year, Zhan Huini and Xiang Ping will teach basic Mandarin and introduce students to the country's culture.

Highlands may have gone the farthest to get its teachers, but other area schools are also adding Chinese. Mountain Brook High School French teacher Anne Dumoulin is offering beginning Chinese for the first time this fall. Indian Springs School also has a Chinese program, and the Birmingham school system has applied for a grant that would let some fifth-graders study the language.

Highlands Head of School Kathryn Woodson Barr said Chinese just seems like the next big thing for youngsters, even here in Alabama. Plans to hold the 2008 Olympics in Beijing has brought even more interest, she said.

"China is in the news so much and we're doing so much business with China," Barr said. "If children are going to be prepared to be in the business world, they need to have a little knowledge of the Chinese language and culture."

Although language experts say Chinese instruction is gaining popularity, it's still anything but common. The U.S. State Department estimates that only about 24,000 American students are learning Chinese, while more than 200 million Chinese children are studying English.

At Highlands, Barr said, the emphasis will be on introducing students and faculty to China's culture rather than trying to make them fluent in a year, even though both teachers have training in teaching Chinese as a foreign language.

To that end, the teachers, who arrived last week, brought a slew of teaching aids, from popular Chinese children's books and DVDs to traditional paper lanterns and fans.

Ping, 23, will spend her days visiting each K-8 class at the school. She'll teach some Mandarin Chinese, but also plans to introduce the students to Chinese calligraphy, dance, music and even her chosen sport, jianzi, which involves keeping a shuttlecock in the air with your feet. She said she's excited to work with the students.

"You can't imagine how marvelous Chinese is, and I think if you know China you will love it," she said. "Only if we learn about each other can we know each other."

Huini, who has a bachelor's degree in early childhood education, will spend her days with Highlands' preschoolers and make regular visits to the toddlers in the school's day-care program, and may also teach the martial art of t'ai chi ch'uan to teachers and students. Even the 3-year-olds will be singing Chinese songs before the year is out, Barr said.

"We really want 100 percent participation for this," she said. "It's important for every student to be exposed to this, and for every teacher, too."

Students at the school already study French and Spanish until third grade and then choose one of those two languages to continue until eighth grade. Chinese will not replace that program, Barr said.

She said the Chinese instruction is an experiment and could be extended long-range. Ping and Huini - whom the students will call Whitney because it's easier for them to pronounce - will live on the Highlands campus and teach for a year but have visas to stay for as long as three years.

"We really want them to be part of the community," Barr said.

E-mail: hwolfson@bhamnews.com CHINESEXX -- CHINESE:

Calligraphy, dance part of curriculum

XX