School Zone
Chinese Language Added to
Mandarin Schools
Duval County Public Schools’
students won’t be, “sitting in a well and looking at
the sky,” as an old Chinese proverb states. This
proverb describes people who think they know everything,
but actually know very little. Currently, students at
Mandarin middle and high schools have a unique
opportunity to learn a great deal, more than 50,000 new
Chinese characters, as authentic Chinese language and
culture expertise are offered at both schools.
Duval County Public Schools
has been awarded participation in the Chinese Guest
Teacher Program, developed by the College Board to
encourage the growth of Chinese education in schools
throughout the United States. In China, over 200
million students study English, while only 24,000
students from the United States study Chinese. From
January 2007 to June 2008, guest Chinese Foreign
Language and Culture Teacher Yang Lei will
provide language instruction and culture education to
students at Mandarin Middle and Mandarin High schools.
“The Chinese Guest Teacher
Program is an exciting addition to Duval County
schools,” said Duval County Public Schools’
Superintendent Joseph Wise. “Studies report that by
2007, Chinese will top English as the most-used language
on the Internet [The World Intellectual Property
Organization]. It is our duty and responsibility to
ensure that Duval County students are provided with
resources and learning opportunities that will help them
succeed in an increasingly competitive world.”
In November 2006, information
sessions about the program were held for Mandarin middle
and high school students, parents and community members.
Although Chinese is identified as a category four
language (the most difficult to learn), it is the most
widely spoken first language in the world. More than
1.3 billion people speak the Chinese language, and the
United States Department of State identifies Chinese as
one of the critical languages to national security and
cultural understanding.
The Chinese Guest Teacher
Program has been developed from a partnership with
Hanban, the Office of Chinese Language Council
International of the Ministry of Education in China, to
promote the cultural exchange between the United States
and China. The College Board will pay the teacher’s
salary during the 18-month stay.
“The addition of Chinese to
Duval County’s foreign language offerings will enhance
the existing curriculum while supporting the national
need for the study of critical languages, as identified
by the U.S. government,” said Duval County Public
Schools Chief Academic Officer Ed Pratt Dannals. “We
are committed to partnerships [like those with the
College Board] that help us transform schools and put
more young people on track for success in college and
work. We are proud of this partnership.”
For more information about the
Chinese Guest Teacher Program,
contact Duval County Public Schools’ World Language
Department at 390-2602.
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