Should Mandarin Be Taught in the Schools?

The school board voted and Scarsdale will start teaching Mandarin beginning in the 9th grade starting in September.

Mandarin is essentially a group of dialects from Northern China and is often simply known as “Chinese.” Mandarin is the official spoken language of the People’s Republic of China and one of the six official languages at the United Nations.

According to some estimates, there are over 1 billion people in the world that speak Mandarin as either their primary or secondary language. It is estimated that it has the largest number of native speakers, followed by Spanish then English.

As of December 2010, China owns over $891 Billion in long-term U.S. government debt, by contrast, the UK owns $541 Billion.

China’s economy grew at 10% last year and in 2010, China became the world’s largest exporter.

Saying that China is a major player on the global stage is an understatement, but becoming proficient in Mandarin is not easy.

So do the residents of Scarsdale think teaching Mandarin is a good idea?

Evan Evangelides

Here’s what some of you had to say:

“It’s a wonderful thing.” Evan Evangelides, Heathcote.

“It’s very current. I think that as an additional elective to other languages it’s a good idea.” Anna Marie Magagna Hyde,

Anna Marie Magagna Hyde

“It’s surprising that this hasn’t happened earlier. China is such a huge market and economy. So many people speak Mandarin. I think this is a good idea. Matt Martin, Edgewood.

Matt Martin

Debra Zitrin

“With most languages, unless you are using it daily it’s pretty hard to become proficient and Mandarin is more difficult than most. Because of that, I’m not a huge proponent of using our resources in that way. Debra Zitrin, Edgewood.

Jen Geller is a freelance journalist who has covered the economy and markets for over a decade at a major financial news outlet. She lives in Scarsdale with her husband and 2 children. Jen has yet to bake a successful batch of cookies.