Chinese Offers Students More Language Skills

China’s economy is booming and the worldwide interest in its official language, Mandarin, is exploding, too. Students attending an “Introduction to Chinese” course at The Harvey School are discovering that although the language is a difficult one to learn, it’s relevance in today’s global economy can no longer be ignored.

The 10-week course is being taught by Daisy Rose, an instructor at the Northern Westchester Chinese School since 1986. She currently teaches fifth-grade Chinese language, culture and history, in addition to eighth-grade Chinese geography. “I have been teaching Chinese for many, many years,” says Ms. Rose, a native of Taiwan, “but the students at Harvey are so engaged in the course that I feel they really have the spirit that is needed to learn a language such as this.” The class of 10 is a mixture of both children, in grades six through 12, and adults.

The growth of China and the opportunities it holds for young people has resulted in an increase in Chinese studies nationwide. Knowing Chinese, says Ms. Rose, can give students an edge when applying to college and for those who want to major in international studies, knowledge of the language will be invaluable.

Pronunciation is perhaps the most difficult aspect of learning Mandarin, because depending on the tones, one pronunciation can have different meanings, explains Ms. Rose, who developed nine lessons for the course, dealing specifically with pronouncing words in what is known as the five tones. “Once they have learned the basics, the future learning of Mandarin should be a lot easier,” she says.

Ms. Rose has made the course more interesting by integrating facts about Chinese culture and civilization, and also gives the students an opportunity to practice the writing of Chinese characters, even translating their names from English to Mandarin. “It’s important to know the language, but they should also know something about Chinese philosophy and its people,” says Ms. Rose.

Suzanne Bowers and her daughter Caroline of Bedford Hills are thoroughly enjoying the course. The Bowers lived in Singapore for eight years, and Mrs. Bowers, a French teacher, took Cantonese and Japanese, but never Mandarin. “When we lived in Asia, we heard Mandarin all the time, and while we might have a better overall understanding of the language, that doesn’t make the learning of it any easier,” she says.

Despite the difficulty, Mrs. Bowers, the mother of Philip, a seventh-grader at Harvey, says Caroline has taken a real interest in the language and is excited about learning it. “I really commend Harvey for being very current with the times in offering Mandarin and also for offering Japanese as part of their curriculum.” Four levels of Japanese are being offered at the school.

In the fall, Harvey will offer Mandarin as an after-school class for which students will get credit. It is open to upper- and middle-school students and to anyone who is interested in learning the language. Ms. Rose is looking forward to that class, and hopes her students will return for further instruction. “I know it’s difficult for them, but the fact that they want to learn it and they are so enthusiastic about it is a good thing,” she says.