Learn More About the Benefits of Studying Mandarin

This article was submitted by the Mandarin in the Middle School Initiative Team: Just in time to celebrate the Chinese New Year, the Scarsdale school administration took a very important step to give our students a strong world language program in the Scarsdale Middle School. Dr. Thomas Hagerman, the superintendent, and Ms. Lynn Shain, Assistant Superintendent and Director of Curriculum announced that if at least 48 rising Scarsdale sixth graders sign up for Mandarin, that globally important language will be offered in the Scarsdale Middle School. Dr. Hagerman also stated that if at least 48 students sign up, the administration will commit to offering Mandarin for at least three years in the middle school. This means that the 2016 cohort of 6th graders would be able to take Mandarin all three years before ascending to the high school, where Mandarin has already been offered for five years. The video of the Board meeting can be accessed here.

The Mandarin in the Middle School Initiative Team thanks the Scarsdale administration for offering Scarsdale parents and students the possibility for the first time in Scarsdale's history of being able to choose one of three languages in the Middle School. Last year's October 2015 World Language Survey for Fifth Grade Parents had a statistically strong response rate. As can be seen in the tables and data in the survey included here parents of fifth grade students chose Spanish and Mandarin as their top language choices for their children, significantly surpassing the choice of any other foreign language.

This week, fifth grade parents received a notice on Monday February 8th from Ms. Lynn Shain informing them that Mandarin is now a choice available to them for their children. Parents will receive forms on Tuesday, February 9th so that they can make their world language choice.

Earlier this January, the Scarsdale administration had already given the district the good news that in the middle school, it will increase the frequency of French and Spanish instruction to daily from only a few times a week. The academic literature concurs with Ms. Shain that increasing the frequency of exposure in a foreign language helps students deepen their aural and oral skills.

Many nearby public and private middle schools such as in Brewster, Briarcliff, Croton-on-Harmon, Great Neck, Mamaroneck, Manhattan, Pelham, New Rochelle, Princeton, Rye, Westport, and White Plains have already been offering Mandarin in the middle schools for quite a number of years. Scarsdale parents and students deserve to have greater choice in foreign languages in the Middle School that go beyond the Romance languages of French and Spanish.

The Mandarin in the Middle School Initiative Team is pleased to announce that it is launching a Facebook page, Scarsdale Learns Mandarin, to provide resources to Scarsdale parents who are interested in learning about the many benefits of studying Mandarin. We welcome you to join us.

Claire He, Brice Kirkendall-Rodríguez, Mayra Kirkendall- Rodríguez, Joanne Teoh, Wanna Zhong & Julie Zhu

FAQ's About Mandarin:

Are you wondering whether or not your child should sign up for Mandarin in sixth grade? Here are some FAQ's from students in the honoros Mandarin Class at Scarsdale High School for your consideration:

Why did I take Mandarin?

I first took Mandarin because I love Chinese food. Chinese economy is developing therefore learning Mandarin would make it helpful to get a job. My family members also took Mandarin and they enjoyed it. I wanted to learn how to translate the different Chinese characters I have come across in my life. In high school the mandarin class is taught by Ms.Gu who is great and we all love her. I mainly wanted to learn Mandarin to be able to connect with the 1.3 billion Chinese people in the world.

Is learning Mandarin difficult if I am not Chinese?

If you are not bothered by memorization, Mandarin is not difficult. I found it fun and easy. It is also easy because there is no conduction like in Spanish and French.

Is learning Mandarin fun?

Yes it is fun because we play a lot of games in class and our teacher is great. This interactive learning that we have every day in class tremendously contributes to our learning and makes it fun. The Chinese culture is very interesting and our teacher constantly makes sure to incorporate Chinese culture into our curriculum. We also got to go on a field trip as a class to China town in the city. The small classroom environment we have in Mandarin class makes the learning environment fun because it keeps everyone engaged.

How can Mandarin help me later in life?

China's economy is growing and there are many Chinese people in the world so being able to communicate with people who speak mandarin will prove as an advantage later in life.

And here are responses from Kara Elcik who is an SHS senior currently in Mandarin Honors class:

Why did I take Mandarin?

I started taking Mandarin when I was living in Hong Kong and I wanted to learn how to speak the language that most people in China spoke. I continued taking Mandarin when I returned to the states because I found how valuable being able to speak Mandarin was and I did not want to lose the Chinese culture I loved in Hong Kong.

Is learning Mandarin difficult if I am not Chinese?

Many people who take Chinese are not Chinese and these people have never found Mandarin anymore difficult than those who are Chinese. I have friends in my class who are Chinese and friends who are not Chinese and I never feel that any of us have an advantage over each other.

Is learning Mandarin fun?

Learning Mandarin is so fun! Not only is the teacher amazing the classes are small so I have developed friendships with everyone in my class that I would never had the chance to form if I did not take Mandarin. Our teacher Ms.Gu understands how Mandarin can appear almost impossible to learn but she finds a way to make it fun and interesting making all of us want to continue learning. Along with all these benefits it is an extra bonus to surprise all my friends by telling them that I speak Mandarin.

How can Mandarin help me later in life?

I have already seen how helpful Mandarin is and I'm only 17! Mandarin has helped me and my fellow classmates get into the colleges we aspired to get into. Mandarin adds to all of our unique personalities and has given all of us a different perspective of the world that we will carry with us no matter where we go.

Letter from Brice Kirkendall-Rodriguez

Introductory Mandarin at the Scarsdale Middle School? Carpe Diem 5th Graders!

Our schools' superintendent Dr. Hagerman and the administration are to be commended for seizing upon an unexpected opportunity to create a cost-neutral pilot program for Mandarin instruction at the Middle School. It's a bold step that demonstrates a willingness to adapt and to be nimble. These positive attributes are often associated with successful companies but are not always acknowledged when observed in the public sector. All members of the community should applaud this clear sign of leadership. Parents of fifth graders can make an even more significant statement of support by actually registering their children to study Mandarin if this was ever an aspiration.
While it is true that our Chinese-American community has been passionate about the addition of Mandarin at the Middle School, this should not be mistaken for an attempt to dominate a program of study. On the contrary, it would not be surprising if most of the 20 or so fifth-graders that have native speaking abilities in Mandarin will choose to study Spanish in the Middle School. Would you enroll your fluent child in a class that the administration has stated will be introductory? Advocacy for Mandarin in the Middle School is born of a love of the Chinese culture and recognition of a previously glaring omission in our school curriculum. Ironically, the most likely beneficiaries of this pilot will not be the most public voices behind the initiative. Rather, this is a terrific opportunity for children with little to no prior exposure to the language.

For the first time in Scarsdale, sixth graders will have the opportunity to challenge themselves to learn a level 4 language well ahead of the pressure to build a college-ready GPA. Your rising sixth grader will actually have an advantage over his or her three year older self because your student's brain is better equipped at age 11 than at age 14 to begin learning a new language. If there are classmates of Chinese descent, they are likely to have the same fears and apprehensions about learning a new language as any child in the class without Asian DNA. For those with some prior Mandarin exposure, the decision to register would probably be to strengthen their grammar and oral proficiency just as a child of a French-speaking parent might choose to register for French. If anything, fellow students with some prior exposure to the language make great study partners!

The introduction of Mandarin to the Middle School is not likely to dramatically change the proportions of students choosing each language. Spanish will remain the most popular choice because children can build upon their exposure to the language in elementary school and because it too is one of the top languages spoken in the world. However, if your child and you had always wished for more choices, carpe diem. You are being given a brand new opportunity to help your child develop a 21st century skill set. Combined with Scarsdale's new STEAM initiative, your child might one day be designing new products for customers that reside in what is soon to be the largest consumer economy in the world. Or, perhaps your child will grow up to treat patients here at home using the third most widely spoken language in the U.S...Mandarin.

Brice Kirkendall-Rodriguez
19 Fox Meadow Road