Some Ga. Schools Make Mandarin Mandatory

Public schools in Macon, Ga., and surrounding Bibb County have a lot of problems. Most of the 25,000 students are poor enough to qualify for free and reduced lunch, and about half don’t graduate.

Bibb County’s Haitian-born superintendent Romain Dallemand came into the job last year with a bag of changes he calls “The Macon Miracle.” There are now longer schools days, year-round instruction, and one mandate nobody saw coming: Mandarin Chinese for every student, pre-K through 12th grade.

“Students who are in elementary school today, by 2050 they’ll be at the pinnacle of their career,” Dallemand says. “They will live in a world where China and India will have 50 percent of the world GDP. They will live in a world where, if they cannot function successfully in the Asian culture, they will pay a heavy price.”

This school year, Dallemand is rolling out Mandarin in stages, a few sessions a week, with the youngest kids starting first. In three years, it will be at every grade level.

Chinese Isn’t Just For High Achievers

Instructors and other young teachers from China are being provided to Bibb County schools by a nearby Confucius Institute, one of a number of nonprofit cultural centers partially funded by the Chinese government. Beijing wants to spread Mandarin abroad, and at just $16,000 per instructor per year, the price is right for Dallemand.

“Well, it’s a win-win for everyone,” he says.

But not everyone in Bibb County sees it that way.

Some parents see a Communist regime enacting its geopolitical agenda on their children. The more common critique, however, is not political. It is the practical concern.

“Bibb County is not known for producing the highest-achieving graduates,” says Macon resident Dina McDonald. “You’ll see that many of them can’t even speak basic English.”

McDonald herself has a ninth-grader in the public schools and says she can imagine some students going into fields where Mandarin could be useful, like international business, technology or law. But with lower achievers, she says, “Do you want to teach them how to say, ‘Do you want fries with that?’ in Mandarin?”

Dallemand would rather ask what kind of education should be provided for every single student — not just some of them.

“We believe that every child can be successful if the adults around them create the conditions for them to be successful,” he says.

Why Not Spanish?

American Students Studying Abroad

Black Enterprise reports that African-American students make up only 4.2% of students studying abroad. Read more…

Compiled by: Online Colleges Resource

Please comment if you studied abroad and what that experience was like for you.

Over 10,000 students awarded the “seal of biliteracy”

For the first time, graduating seniors from around California – more than 10,000 – have been awarded a state “seal” indicating their proficiency in two languages.

The award, which consists of a gold seal affixed to a student’s high school diploma, is the result of legislation (AB 815) authored by Assemblymember Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last year.

Some 59 districts around the state were already awarding their own seal of biliteracy, but this is the first time that it has been done statewide.

Not surprisingly, the vast majority – 70 percent – of those earning the seal demonstrated proficiency in Spanish, followed by French (10 percent) and Mandarin (7 percent). Some 2 percent of students were proficient in Japanese, with a similar percentage in Cantonese and German. Altogether, students with proficiency in 40 different languages, including American sign language, were awarded the seal.

Occupy Schools

I recently received an email from Mocha Moms outlining their Call to Action. In the midst of this powerful Occupy Movement they have made a call for African American parents to Occupy Schools. As you could guess I could not wait to jump on board. So I am issuing a Call to Action of all PAASSC families that we will all commit to Occupy Schools and commit to teach our peers and colleagues to Occupy Schools.

Background:

The Department of Education recently released findings that African American students:

Have less access to challenging courses in high school;
Are taught by lower-paid and less experienced teachers;
Are over three times more likely to be suspended or expelled from school when compared to white students.

While there are no clear cut answers on how to address this issue the Board of Mocha Moms, Inc. did identify a solution – African American parents need to Occupy Schools.

It’s a fact that parents that are actively involved in the PTA, attend most of the school activities and field trips, help raise funds for the school and who are otherwise very active participants in the school community are far less likely to receive unfair treatment at the hands of the teachers and school administrators.

I know that here in the Bay Area PAASSC families consistently show up at the school, in the classroom, to volunteer on field trips and to help with fundraisers. So this is to reaffirm what you are doing and encourage you to keep it up, it’s also to highlight specifically what you’ve been doing well to keep you on course, and it’s also an opportunity for you to forward this to friends and families and remind them that we must Occupy Schools.

We will follow the initiatives and activities set forward by Mocha Moms, Inc. as they will launch the Occupy Schools Movement in Fall 2012. We will launch this movement both individually and collectively and for the benefit of our children all families are strongly encouraged to participate.

Occupying schools individually means we must:

Email our children’s teachers regularly to receive academic updates;
Request face-to-face meetings with their teachers several times per year;
Visit the school during the day to walk the halls, visit the cafeteria and survey the general environment of the school;
Volunteer to work on special projects for the teachers and the administration;
Attend school functions, meetings, special activities and field trips;
On the first day of school, line the halls of your school to offer support and direction to new students;
Read daily homework assignments;
Check for completion and review the quality of completed assignments regularly;
Help our children prepare for major tests and quizzes;
Find a tutor or seek help from the school if we see our children struggling and we are unable to help;
Ban the TV on school nights for all children and limit TV watching for the adults in charge of supervising homework until after homework is done;
Make “extra-credit” assignments mandatory in our households.

It sounds as if we have to go back to school just because our children are in school. Unfortunately, in the current climate, that is precisely what we must do. Our children are under siege and we need to get our heads in the game. It’s time to Occupy Schools.

Mocha Moms, Inc. will launch the Mocha Moms Occupy Schools Movement in the fall. The “Occupy” movement in America has taken on a life of its own in recent months. I support their effort to start a similar movement in the schools. Unfortunately for some and thankfully for others, they are not recommending that we pitch tents and protest. They are recommending that we individually and collectively encourage parents of color to become more active and involved in the educational process and make our presence known.

I am very excited about this mission and grateful for the opportunity to better support my child in school and encourage other parents to also increase their involvement in order to increase their child’s success in schools.

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Can We Compete???

Until recently I had never heard of the Chinese college entrance exam – the Gaokao. The Gaokao consists of two days of testing and it is the ONLY factor that determines if a Chinese student gets to go to college. No other factors are considered – not a student’s GPA if they are not strong test takers, not a student’s history of community service, personal statement, leadership or athletic accomplishments. Everything about a child’s future rests on taking this one test.

Some Chinese families view this test as the only opportunity that a family has to get out of poverty. If a child passes the Gaokao it opens the entire family’s door to a better life. This puts a tremendous amount of pressure on everyone – students, teachers, parents, and the school administration. The absolute importance of this exam requires that these children take on a “whatever it takes” attitude in their desire to study hard and to be the best. Clear indicators of the type of Chinese competitive spirit that is often frowned upon here in the states.

Recent images of student’s Intravenous (IV) drips being set up in the classroom to help seniors stay hydrated and alert while studying for the exam leaves many American parents speechless. The images include an IV drip in the classroom for each youth so in turn they have no excuses for not studying or more motivation and energy to keep going – depending on your perspective.

According to Global Times, in an interview with local media in Xiaogan city, a teacher from the school surnamed Xia said the pictured students were receiving amino acid drips that would help increase their body strength. “Some students were not feeling well these days due to the bad weather. As the exam is approaching, more students are coming for the IV drip at the clinic than its capacity can hold,” the teacher said. “It is for this reason that the school has decided to let students have drips in the classroom.”

Everyone recognizes the importance of this test. Every year, police road blocks are set up around schools and nearby construction sites are ordered to fall silent as the country is plunged into two days of “Gaokao fever”. The BBC estimates that this year 9.15 million Chinese high school students are taking this notoriously tough university entrance exam. Critics say that for most of them, it is the culmination of a year of cramming, of repeating past papers and in large part, learning by rote. In fact, almost everyone – students, parents, teachers and policymakers – seems to accept that the system is squeezing creativity out of students. But despite the criticism, China’s exam machine just keeps on squeezing, and more horror stories emerge each year.

Clearly the competition to get into a prestigious college in China is fierce. So what happens to students who don’t pass the Gaokao? Well the look for opportunities to attend college abroad – namely in the United States.

5 Reasons to Hire a Chinese Tutor… Now!!!

Is it necessary to hire a tutor if your child is enrolled in a Chinese Immersion program. The short answer to that question is “no” the best answer to that question is “YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!”

As monolingual parents of bilingual children it is unlikely that our children are exposed to Chinese in the home. It is not required to hire a tutor but supplementing your child’s education increases the chances that your child will be confident in speaking their non-native language, receive individualized support, and address any learning needs right away.

I am concerned that families that do not supplement Chinese at home and/or outside of the classroom are less likely to notice delays in their child’s ability to learn and/or retain the non-native language right away, have difficulty providing their children with simple tools and techniques to keep their children interested in learning and on par with their peers, as well as, the added benefit of connecting with a Chinese tutor that will help to explain certain cultural aspects of the Chinese language.

1. Your Child’s Academic Success also Depends on their Chinese

Once a child begins to show some delays in their ability to recognize/write characters or maintain a conversational fluency comparable to their peers it may be too late to seek help. I don’t want to sound like a pessimist but there are a number of reasons why waiting until your child is struggling may be too late. First, while there are numerous resources out there to help you find a Chinese speaking tutor there is no guarantee that the week or month that your child needs support that your schedule or your finances will match the availability of the tutors that you find. Second, when the teacher or your child makes it clear to you that they NEED a tutor how do you really know when your child began struggling and whether or not their confidence and desire to learn Chinese has been impacted by these struggles.

I believe that it’s better to start early. Try out a few different tutors. There are a number of affordable options. 1) While your child is young develop a relationship with a pre-teen that is willing to read story books and sing songs with your child while you are home. As the pre-teen ages they will still allow you a discounted rate and their own maturity level and skill set will increase in the meantime. 2) Utilize a virtual assistant through services like elance.com. You can hire a virtual tutor that will skype with your child two to three times a week for less than $10/hour.

Build the relationship early to find a tutor that is right for your child so that you aren’t forced to scramble at the last minute if your child is experiencing some difficulties. Additionally, it’s an added perk to support your child with extra opportunities for reading, writing and speaking Chinese outside of the classroom. They can only benefit from the experience.

2. Time Flies When you are Learning Chinese

Many parents begin their children in Immersion programs and they know that their child needs support learning Chinese. If at any point a parent sees their child struggling I know that the decision is often made fairly quickly to look for a tutor or additional supplements to support your child. But then time passes quickly – 1 week (waiting on return phone calls), 2 weeks (busy at work), 3 weeks (the teacher hasn’t mentioned anything else), 4 weeks (your child says they don’t like school anymore), 5 weeks (sticker shock), 6 weeks (family members start promoting their school where they promise your child will excel), and the ball keeps rolling.

3. You are a Busy Parent

Supplementing your child’s Chinese by yourself is an incredible opportunity but one that may overwhelm most parents. As a busy parent the best way to supplement your child’s Chinese is to play Chinese CDs in the car. You can get CDs from the school, local library and/or from your local Chinatown retailers. While many parents are opposed to television there are an array of Chinese DVDs that range from popular Chinese children’s songs, Chinese dubbed American movies, etc. Be sure to begin collecting DVDs early and establish a relationship with a retailer. Some of the movies may have poor production quality or might not appeal to your child. Keep trying and find a style that is right for your child.

While many of us will find creative ways to supplement our child’s learning that doesn’t mean that we will ever be able to help them with their Chinese homework. While it is not necessary and most schools but supports in place for monolingual families I strongly recommend hiring a tutor. Educating your child is a one-time opportunity so no regrets.

4. You Can Move Beyond your Own Cultural Group

I don’t know about you but I have always considered myself to have an extremely diverse group of friends. It’s actually something that many people compliment me on. That’s why I was surprised when I realized not one of my friend’s are Chinese. In fact my friends are not quite as diverse as I thought. Very few of my friends are bilingual and even less were born outside of the United States. For families like my own I see the investment in a tutor as an opportunity to begin connecting with a cultural group that I clearly have unwittingly alienated myself from. I anticipate it will be difficult to explain to my child why I am promoting that she learn a set of cultural norms that I am clearly disconnected from. Identifying a tutor early on in this journey helps us as parents to establish relationships beyond our own cultural group.

Outside of developing a relationship with a tutor families can incorporate celebrations of Chinese holidays at home, cooking Chinese foods and visiting Chinese businesses.

5. Staying at the Top of the Curve

While this may not be politically correct I think it’s necessary to add. It’s time for us as African American mothers to embrace the “Lion Mom” inside of us (tigers don’t live in Africa). We didn’t step out and encourage our children to try something new so that they would be “okay” at it. We are pursuing a Chinese Immersion education in an effort that it will provide our children with a stimulating academic environment so that they will reach their full potential.

Staying at the top of the curve sometimes requires a little nudge. Often we don’t have to nudge our children if we start early enough. We really need to nudge ourselves. Nudge ourselves to raise our expectations. Give Kumon a try. During Spring Break consider a science camp. Join a museum and take your child regularly. And don’t forget to read your child a book every night. Start habits for yourself that will ensure you are giving your child the best gifts for their future.

Education