Ruch Elementary School student Robert Starchivick, 12, left, breaks up while practicing a conversation in Mandarin with Erika Adams, 12. Mail Tribune / Jim CravenJim Craven

From a projector screen in a classroom at Ruch School in rural Jackson County, Mandarin teacher Zhagang Frisbee, who moved here from China, instructs a group of 20 seventh- and eighth-graders to ask her how old she is.

“Ni duo dá?” the students respond.

“Wo  sanshiqi sui,” Frisbee replies. That translates to “I’m 37 years old.”

Frisbee explains that in China, it’s not considered impolite to ask someone their age.

“I know in America some old people don’t like to be asked how old they are,” she says.

A Mandarin Chinese program for grades 3 through 8 offered by the Southern Oregon Education Service District began late last month in 15 public school classrooms in Jackson, Josephine and Klamath counties, most of which are in remote locations, including Ruch, Prospect and Pinehurst. In Jackson County, two classes also are held at the Talent Elementary Outdoor Discovery Program.

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