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][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]

NP. Problem is, pp, that Chinese immersion instruction for children that sticks isn't for dilettantes.

Learning Chinese means mastering at least 4 tones and 3,000 characters for basic literacy, strong indications that the language is better mastered young than as an adult.

Parents must make tough choices about their children's academic and extra-curricular achievements. You're assuming that "marginal Mandarin achievement" is all that's possible for kids who aren't ABCs, and that working hard at Chinese would necessarily put downward pressure on English and math instruction.

This is BS for immersion families who are up to the challenge of high achievement. If you doubt this, you can visit WIS, Sidwell Friends or College Gardens in MoCo, where Chinese, English and math are all taught, and learned, to a high standard from K on up.
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