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By John Higgins
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 09:20 p.m. EDT, Jun 25, 2009
The German language is part of Barberton's past, but Chinese will be its future.
Next school year, Barberton will replace its German I language class with Mandarin Chinese I.
''We're actually phasing German out because we're not getting enough kids to sign up,'' said Assistant Superintendent Patti Cleary. ''It's just not a language that they think they can use later.''
Advanced German classes will continue until current students have completed them, but the future is definitely Chinese.
The Summit County Educational Service Center is hiring a certified Chinese instructor who will teach at both Barberton and Copley high schools.
Bill Holko, director of curriculum and instruction at the Summit County ESC, said Twinsburg is the only other school district in Summit County to offer Chinese.
In addition to teaching the class at Barberton High School, the teacher will work with Barberton third-graders once a week, exposing them to the language.
''They'll have that all year, one day a week, for every kid in the third grade,'' Cleary said. ''If we can keep that going, we'll have to expand the program.''
Meanwhile, the district gave its students who are taking Chinese I this fall, or who are thinking about it, a jump-start this summer — plus college and high school credits.
Fifteen Barberton students, mostly incoming freshmen, are finishing a two-week introductory course in Chinese language and culture today at Barberton High School.
The class is taught by Chinese instructors through the recently opened Confucius Institute at the University of Akron — a collaboration between the university and the Summit County ESC.
A similar program in Arabic language and culture for high school students also was offered at UA this summer, said Christopher Eustis, chair of the Department of Modern Languages.
On Thursday at Barberton High School, the students were learning to say their phone numbers in Chinese.
They had to walk around the class collecting phone numbers, in Chinese, from as many classmates as possible.
The area code 330 in Chinese, for example, is ''san san ling.''
Then they stood at the front of the class, recited the numbers and determined how many they correctly heard.
The lead instructor, Hefeng (Olivia) Guan, is the deputy director of the Confucius Institute, which is part of an international network supported by the Chinese Ministry of Education, dedicated to ''enhancing the understanding of the Chinese language and culture.''
To do that means understanding the culture of American classrooms, which is why she had the students get up and walk around the class getting phone numbers from each other.
She said Chinese teachers use a lot of repetition, and kids sit still in their seats and memorize as much as they can.
''But American kids enjoy all kinds of activities,'' she said. ''During the process, they use them, they practice them, they remember them.''
The Barberton students have experienced many activities in addition to learning the language during the course, which ran from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
They've tried the martial art of tai chi, calligraphy and paper folding (they made intricate folded swans). They've also sampled a variety of Chinese foods and learned to use chopsticks.
Zack Gasper, who will be taking Chinese I next fall as a freshman, said he enjoyed learning tai chi and appreciated that the teachers were from China.
''I've always been interested in the country and I just thought it would be a good experience, and it turns out I was right,'' Gasper said.
Kayla Semelsberger and Emily Funari also enjoyed the class, although they haven't decided if they want to take Chinese or French this fall, when they enter ninth grade.
''French was my first thing, and then they told us about the Chinese course,'' Semelsberger said.
Funari thought today's field trip to Cleveland's Asian district might sway her decision.
Her classmate, Kaitlynn Palmer, already knows she'll be taking Chinese this fall as a freshman.
''Not many people can speak Chinese, and I thought it would be cool to do that,'' Palmer said.
She's thinking about a career in acupuncture and job opportunities in China.
The economy is also on Ashley Ash's mind. She'll also take Chinese I as a freshman this fall.
''I thought it would be useful when I get older because the Chinese economy is the strongest economy in the world right now,'' she said.
John Higgins can be reached at 330-996-3792 or jhiggins@thebeaconjournal.com.
The German language is part of Barberton's past, but Chinese will be its future.
Next school year, Barberton will replace its German I language class with Mandarin Chinese I.
''We're actually phasing German out because we're not getting enough kids to sign up,'' said Assistant Superintendent Patti Cleary. ''It's just not a language that they think they can use later.''
Advanced German classes will continue until current students have completed them, but the future is definitely Chinese.
The Summit County Educational Service Center is hiring a certified Chinese instructor who will teach at both Barberton and Copley high schools.
Bill Holko, director of curriculum and instruction at the Summit County ESC, said Twinsburg is the only other school district in Summit County to offer Chinese.
In addition to teaching the class at Barberton High School, the teacher will work with Barberton third-graders once a week, exposing them to the language.
''They'll have that all year, one day a week, for every kid in the third grade,'' Cleary said. ''If we can keep that going, we'll have to expand the program.''
Meanwhile, the district gave its students who are taking Chinese I this fall, or who are thinking about it, a jump-start this summer — plus college and high school credits.
Fifteen Barberton students, mostly incoming freshmen, are finishing a two-week introductory course in Chinese language and culture today at Barberton High School.
The class is taught by Chinese instructors through the recently opened Confucius Institute at the University of Akron — a collaboration between the university and the Summit County ESC.
A similar program in Arabic language and culture for high school students also was offered at UA this summer, said Christopher Eustis, chair of the Department of Modern Languages.
On Thursday at Barberton High School, the students were learning to say their phone numbers in Chinese.
They had to walk around the class collecting phone numbers, in Chinese, from as many classmates as possible.
The area code 330 in Chinese, for example, is ''san san ling.''
Then they stood at the front of the class, recited the numbers and determined how many they correctly heard.
The lead instructor, Hefeng (Olivia) Guan, is the deputy director of the Confucius Institute, which is part of an international network supported by the Chinese Ministry of Education, dedicated to ''enhancing the understanding of the Chinese language and culture.''
To do that means understanding the culture of American classrooms, which is why she had the students get up and walk around the class getting phone numbers from each other.
She said Chinese teachers use a lot of repetition, and kids sit still in their seats and memorize as much as they can.
''But American kids enjoy all kinds of activities,'' she said. ''During the process, they use them, they practice them, they remember them.''
The Barberton students have experienced many activities in addition to learning the language during the course, which ran from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
They've tried the martial art of tai chi, calligraphy and paper folding (they made intricate folded swans). They've also sampled a variety of Chinese foods and learned to use chopsticks.
Zack Gasper, who will be taking Chinese I next fall as a freshman, said he enjoyed learning tai chi and appreciated that the teachers were from China.
''I've always been interested in the country and I just thought it would be a good experience, and it turns out I was right,'' Gasper said.
Kayla Semelsberger and Emily Funari also enjoyed the class, although they haven't decided if they want to take Chinese or French this fall, when they enter ninth grade.
''French was my first thing, and then they told us about the Chinese course,'' Semelsberger said.
Funari thought today's field trip to Cleveland's Asian district might sway her decision.
Her classmate, Kaitlynn Palmer, already knows she'll be taking Chinese this fall as a freshman.
''Not many people can speak Chinese, and I thought it would be cool to do that,'' Palmer said.
She's thinking about a career in acupuncture and job opportunities in China.
The economy is also on Ashley Ash's mind. She'll also take Chinese I as a freshman this fall.
''I thought it would be useful when I get older because the Chinese economy is the strongest economy in the world right now,'' she said.
John Higgins can be reached at 330-996-3792 or jhiggins@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Akron, Oh
Posted 10:03 PM, 06/25/2009
At least Barberton students can go to China when their manufacturing jobs are outsourced. But I'm not quite sure China would want Barberton students.
Perhaps we are making future fast food employees to send to China.
Anti-Politically Correct & Anti-GOP, OH
Posted 10:06 PM, 06/25/2009
Nathan, are you kidding? ALL jobs are headed that way, even yours.
Posted 10:43 PM, 06/25/2009
german language was always a waste...
m, m
Posted 11:30 PM, 06/25/2009
the official language in the southwestern half of the USA is Spanish.
Hooterville, Oh
Posted 07:44 AM, 06/26/2009
Hey now, there are unlimited opportunities for those Barberton kids that know how to say their area code in Manderin and do Tai Chi. Even if Chinese kids learn English and Calculus by the age of 3.
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:54 AM, 06/26/2009
Good to know that in the name of capitalism and the preservation of greed, American childen will learn to work for (and befriend) communists...what do Toby Keith and Rash Limbaugh have to say about this?!
We don't want Hispanic immigrants (though we crossed their border!) but will suck up to people who see Americans as low class; there is something hilarious about this. (In truth, I'm jealous these kids have such a great opportunity to expand their worlds at such young ages,its honestly a good thing for this region)
Barberton, OH
Posted 08:12 AM, 06/26/2009
Dear Nathan,
Someone from Akron calling out Barberton Students?
Check your stats.
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:19 AM, 06/26/2009
This was an excellent call by the Barberton School District -- learning Chineese will surely help these students in their future careers as Asia and China become bigger players in the world's economy.
akron, OH
Posted 08:50 AM, 06/26/2009
whats with the ninja in the backround?
akron, OH
Posted 08:51 AM, 06/26/2009
also kid in the red looks like hes focusing more on that girl you more than his chi
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:57 AM, 06/26/2009
I think this is excellent! All of the schools should do this.
Posted 09:21 AM, 06/26/2009
kinda opens the doors for chinese gangs in barberton huh?
Akron, oh
Posted 10:02 AM, 06/26/2009
Good job being proactive Barberton.
Simple info for those of you that want to know.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY&feature=fvst
Posted 10:15 AM, 06/26/2009
This is excellent! Interpretur jobs pay a lot ... I would love to speak Chinese, even Japanese ... I have a friend who is Japanese and her English isn't good enough to teach me ... one day I will learn so that I can have a fluent conversation with her.
Akron, OH
Posted 10:50 AM, 06/26/2009
They'll learn enough Mandarin Chinese to ask where to apply for the laborer job in a Chinese sweatshop and then sign the application with an X--here in the People's Republic of North America.
"Geithner is the first US treasury secretary to make a trip to sell treasuries in the history of Sino-US diplomatic relations and a rare event in world financial history. Geithner's Beijing visit itself provides a hint about real concerns - so-called risk-free treasuries are no longer immune from risk. . .
Current bankruptcy moves by century-old automaker General Motors, once a symbol of US economic prowess, signals how the US financial crisis has escalated into a wider economic crisis.
Ongoing economic woes no doubt enlarge the bankruptcy risk at the US government itself. Is the US treasury still a safe security? . ."
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bw/2009-06/08/content_8257746.htm
Barberton, Oh
Posted 03:31 PM, 06/28/2009
Wow, the negative comments are the very reason why I approve of and congratulate the Barberton School Administration's 'out of the box' thinking. The Administration's concern for, and decision to introduce this opportunity to our children is, right on target!
The opportunity for any language to be offered to a student should always be encouraged and welcomed, by both the parents and community. As it will provide unlimited opportunities to the students, and Barberton as a whole. And honestly now, what kind of parent would deny their child this opportunity?
TY Barberton School Administration, Teachers and Parents, TY......
