Elementary Students Turning East

Amy Hetzner:

The teacher’s marker flies across the whiteboard, drawing characters most Americans see only on menus.
“Ma ma,” “be be,” “ge ge,” the first-graders call out, often before teacher Hongmei Zhao has finished more than a few strokes with her pen.
“What’s ge ge?” Zhao asks.
“Big brother,” a girl answers.
While most elementary schools would consider themselves lucky to have any foreign language program, Meadowview Elementary School and this class of first-graders have scored what might be the ultimate coup: an elementary program in Mandarin.
For a half-hour every day, first- and second-graders at Meadowview receive instruction in China’s official language from Zhao, a private school teacher from Beijing.
The rare opportunity comes with the help of the Chinese government. Zhao and Xiaoman Song, who is teaching Chinese language classes at Oak Creek East Middle School and Oak Creek High School this school year, were provided to the district through a guest teacher program sponsored by Hanban – also known as China’s Office of Chinese Language Council International – and by the College Board.