Posted on The Charlotte Observer, Mon, Jan. 09, 2006
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China's hot export: Its language
AS CHINA RISES, SO DOES INTEREST IN LEARNING MANDARIN AT CMS
DÁNICA COTO
Sam Wong arrived Sunday at Carmel Baptist Church looking for a solution.
His wife speaks Hunan and Mandarin. He knows Cantonese. Their 3-year-old son isn't fluent in any Chinese language or dialect.
"It's gotten to a point where it's so much easier to communicate in English at home," Wong said woefully.
Wong and other parents had different goals in mind as they walked into the church Sunday to learn about Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' first Chinese immersion program.
Chinese has become the "it" language to learn. What used to be a grass-roots effort to keep a language alive through volunteers and churches in Mecklenburg County has now grown into a high-demand business.
One parent cited China's growing economic and political presence. Another wanted their child to be able to talk to relatives while visiting China. A third hoped to give their child an advantage when looking for a job.
They all hope to enroll their kids at Smith Academy, the CMS magnet school that will offer a Chinese immersion program, in Mandarin, next fall. It will be taught in kindergarten and first grade and will grow a grade level each year.
School officials want 24 students -- an even split of native English and Chinese speakers. Unlike other CMS immersion programs, 65 percent of the class will be taught in Chinese. Once students enter second grade, about 50 percent will be in Chinese.
Smith Academy principal Ynez Olshausen assured parents Sunday that the courses will follow current CMS curriculum.
"There's no market for bilingual people with poor skills," she said.
Filling a need in Charlotte
When Jason Zeng moved from Chapel Hill to Charlotte about four years ago, he saw the need for Chinese classes.He helped start Carmel Chinese Academy and had about three students in his class. As principal now, he oversees more than 110 students at the weekend school and has noticed a jump in calls from Bank of America and Wachovia employees interested in learning Chinese.
The county's growing diversification contributed to the change, Zeng said.
There are about 5,700 Chinese living in Mecklenburg County, up from 3,000 five years ago, according to the U.S. Census. About 17,000 people speak Asian and Pacific Islander languages at home.
Among those is Ngar-Chun Liu, who speaks Chinese to her three children but thinks it's not enough. She was excited about the new program, which she has longed for since moving from New York City to Charlotte. A public school can offer more than a small academy because they have more resources, she said.
Parents of children learning Chinese demand more now, too, said Shasha Liu, principal of Charlotte Chinese Academy, another private organization that teaches children and adults. They expect children to learn not only the language but also Chinese culture and current affairs, she said.
Preparation for the future
Herbert Mueller, a German native, caressed his sleeping son Sunday as he planned his future while listening to school officials.
Mueller wants his 4-year-old son in the German immersion program offered at Smith, but his wife, who is Chinese, wants their son in the new program.
"We both have mixed feelings," he said.
While he and his wife make up their mind, CMS school officials will be visiting schools in California to learn more about how Chinese immersion programs work. They'll also start buying teaching materials.
Olshausen said she hopes other schools will offer similar programs in the future. North Carolina wants 10 percent of high school graduates to speak a second language.
"We're not anywhere near that," she said.
To Know More
Parents who want their children to attend Smith Academy first have to enroll their children in CMS and then apply for the magnet program. For details, call (980) 343-5815 or visit www.cms.k12.nc.us/allschools/smith.
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