Acting on something Gov. Kathleen Sebelius started last year, the Kansas State Department of Education has made a forward-thinking deal with China’s Office of Chinese Language Council International that should mean more Kansas children can study Chinese in school. As it is, only nine school districts offer Chinese instruction, mostly through distance learning. The agreement should increase the numbers of teachers in Kansas qualified to teach Chinese. “School districts are waking up to this. Businesses are asking school districts to teach students Chinese,” said Nancy Hope, associate executive director for education at the Confucius Institute at the University of Kansas’ Edwards Campus in Overland Park. Still, having the opportunity to enroll and actually doing it are two different things.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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15 Comments
Better concentrate on teaching Kansans English first.
Not a dime of government money to teach Chinese. The businesses of this country need to step up to the plate and quit depending on government subsidized education programs to provide the training they should be doing — and pass the cost along directly to the consumers as a free market economy is supposed to do …
We need Mandarin training for our children. I plan to steer my 2yr old to begin learning Chinese. Her professional success will come from working with the Chinese and her taxes will go to sustaining the ever increasing Hispanic community. Reality.
Excellent, Jim. The earlier one can be tought a second language, the easier it is for them.
For all you others:
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To HELL with businesses that want our kids to learn Chinese!
It would be a lot more beneficial to the future of this country if we told those businesses that if they cannot make their products in America, they cannot sell them here!
Right, JR. Lets shut down the borders, halt all imports (might as well stop all exports as well), erect a protective bubble over the country and deny the rest of the world exists.. . . NOT.
To HELL with protectionist attitudes. With them taking over, the world will once again be flat.
Well dusty I guess I just care more about America and Americans than I do about corporate profit margins. Sue me.
It’s wonderful that our children will have another choice in languages. Any languages that make our students more able to compete in a global economy is a great thing.Routinely, only Latin, French, Spanish, and German have been taught in our school system. Other than Spanish, can’t see too many Americans speaking those languages on a daily basis either.
There are already Chinese Speaking Kansans. Actually, they are of Chinese ancestry. They are already here, why re-invent the wheel.
In general, we should try to learn other languages in order to communicate better, period. However, it’s not easy. A friend of mine who came from Hong Kong was taught English very early on, but she did not become really fluent until coming to the U.S.–nobody spoke it outside of the classroom!
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There are quite a few, in fact a majority, of corporations who are not making obscene profits, but employing people at a livable wage, with excellent medical benifits. Gee, I thought making a profit so you could afford to buy a house, a car, send the kids to school, and retire in comfort. Pardon the hell out of me for thinking such a selfish thought.
Learn all the languages you can, it will only make you a better, more rounded person. Contrary to some beliefs, you only live once. Visit everyplace and learn everything you can. Never mind the ones who can’t see past their own front door.
Wo hwe shuo yidiar Zhong wen.
It’s not as hard to speak as people think it is.
On the other hand, reading and writing the characters is horribly difficult.
Oh- No, No, No!You know the available different languages have been around for a very-very long time and by choice for those that seek to learn it.This forward-thinking deal has all the ear marks of special interest.I agree with ken, that is tax money that does not serve the majority of the public.
Interesting thought, JR…when you said:Well dusty I guess I just care more about America and Americans than I do about corporate profit margins
Question for you..who do you think is benefitting from those corporate profit margins? Could it possibly be AMERICANS?
Yeah raptor Americans have REALLY benefitted from outsourcing almost our entire manufacture base.
Corporations have been REAL good for American small biz aint they?
Sure SOME Americans have benefitted from these corporate gains. The investor class is making out like bandits. Thing is? They already HAD plenty.
I refuse to teach my kid Chinese. I will expect for him a nation that cares more about its survival than the bottom line. If I am wrong then America is doomed anyway.