Reply to Yu Ying - Do/Can Non-Native Kids Actually SPEAK Chinese?

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Reply to " Yu Ying - Do/Can Non-Native Kids Actually SPEAK Chinese?"

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[quote=Anonymous]This thread (like all the other YY threads on this board) is so sad and circular. Just groups of people shouting past each other.

YY parents, in aggregate, simply don't prioritize the way that the ABC champions think they should. Neither does the dastardly, monolingual, and <gasp> AA principal. The parents, and the school, prioritize English literacy and numeracy above Chinese proficiency (which is why Mandarin achievement -- or lack thereof -- is irrelevant to placement in the non-immersion track, which exists for kids struggling with English to the extent that they need more time devoted to that more important language). Most of the parents also prioritize other things (sports, music, scouts, etc.) over marginal Mandarin achievement -- preferences revealed by their kids' afterschool and weekend activities.

The parents wish the school were better -- as do all parents wish about all schools -- but there's not a lot of hand-wringing over the Mandarin instruction in particular. The kids are far further along in all aspects of language acquisition than they would be with just an "exposure" curriculum, and they don't seem to be giving up anything in English, math, or otherwise, so it's a clear win. Even if it's not the win the ABC champions want.[/quote]

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