Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

Information for parents of kids in Mandarin immersion education

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  • 2,000 Mandarin immersion students in California schools

    Dual-language lessons growing in popularity

    March 22, 2012 | Eleanor Yang Su

    Flickr/heraldpost

    At Chula Vista Learning Community Charter School, students are taught lessons every week in a combination of Spanish, English and Mandarin. The public school, which has more than 400 students on its wait list, is hoping to eventually add a fourth language, the principal says, to better prepare pupils for the global economy.

    “I think as we become more and more globally aware, we’re realizing that kids need to be prepared to be competitive in world markets,” said Principal Jorge Ramirez. “Kids need to be multilingual and multiliterate.”

    From Chula Vista to Laguna Niguel and Sacramento, public schools are creating dual-language immersion programs at a fast pace. The California Department of Education estimates there are 318 bilingual immersion programs in the state, up from 201 in 2006.

    Please read more here.

  • Introducing J-MEC, formerly known at the MIPC

    Readers of this blog know that it is maintained by Scott Olson and Elizabeth Weise,  parents with children in the San Francisco Unified School District’s Mandarin immersion program and some of the original founders of the Mandarin Immersion Parents Council in San Francisco.

    The MIPC is in the process of ‘re-branding’ itself to become 金山中文教育协会, or J-MEC. You can read about it below. You’re also welcome to donate to support our cause by going to the Starr King school website and clicking the Donate Now button. Just note on the form that you’re donating for J-MEC (i.e. the Mandarin immersion program at all three schools) rather than just for Starr King.

    The MIPC actually  maintains two blogs, this one, which focuses on all things Mandarin immersion, and a SFUSD Mandarin-specific site here.  This site will keep the name MIPC as it’s national in scope, while our local site will now be J-MEC or the Jinshan Mandarin Education Council.

    Either way, we’re all about supporting kids in Mandarin immersion programs, where ever they may be!

    =====================

    Introducing

    金山中文教育协会

    Jīnshān Zhōngwén Jiàoyù Xíehuì

    Jinshan Mandarin Education Council

    San Francisco’s Mandarin immersion program was launched at Starr King Elementary School in 2006 with just 26 students. A second arm of the program was begun at Jose Ortega Elementary school in 2007. In the past six years it has grown to include six grades at two schools, with now over 300. Next year it will grow yet again, to include our first class of 6th graders at Aptos Middle school.

     

    The Mandarin Immersion Parents Council began as a loose coalition of parents at both schools in 2006. By 2007 it had evolved into a strong coalition between parents at our two schools. The group has held multiple meetings, workshops and get-togethers for parents in the program over the years. In 2011 we began working with staff at Aptos to lay the groundwork for our middle school program.

     

    As our schools have grown, so has the breadth of our families as well as interest in the program around the country and around the world.  In recognition of the benefits of Chinese language acquisition, not just for our children, but for society at large, we have re-branded the “Mandarin Immersion Parent Council.”

     

    Our new name is is 金山中文教育协会, which means San Francisco Mandarin Education Council and is pronounced Jīnshān Zhōngwén Jiàoyù Xíehuì.

     

     

    For those who don’t speak Mandarin:

     

    金山, Jīnshān, (Gold Mountain) San Francisco

    中文Zhōngwén, Chinese

    教育Jiàoyù, Education

    协会Xíehuì, Council

     

    In English, it’s the Jinshan Mandarin Education Council, or J-MEC for short.

     

    It is under this name that we have created a non-profit organization that can support our Mandarin immersion program in all three schools. We are using the San Francisco Schools Alliance, a non-profit that supports public education in San Francisco, as our fiscal sponsor.  In addition to parents at the three schools, we are recruiting members of the Mandarin-speaking community for our board, in recognition of the need and desire of businesses and community groups to support such programs in our public schools.

     

    J-MEC realizes in the era of fiscal hardship in our public school system, we are lucky that San Francisco Unified School District is able to create such a special program.  Nevertheless, there are still needs that the school district cannot fund in order that our three schools have the supplies and support necessary for our Mandarin immersion students to graduate bilingual, bi-literate and bi-cultural.  J-MEC is dedicated to working closely with the SFUSD administration, principals, teachers, parents, and students at Starr King, Jose Ortega and Aptos Middle school to identify and fund these critical gaps.

     

    Come join us!

    Jinshan Mandarin Education Council: Supporting Mandarin immersion since 2007

     

  • A Chinese Language Teacher’s Experience in American Public Schools

     

    A Chinese Language Teacher’s Experience in American Public Schools
    By Meiching Chang

    Meiching Chang's photoThroughout all these years in elementary and high schools, I have built up my teaching confidence. Sometimes I still feel lost or lonely on the road of teaching Chinese, but I remind myself of all the Chinese teachers out there working as hard as I am. I wish all Chinese teachers good luck on this path. I know we will succeed – it’s not a matter of if, but when. Read more

    一位中文老师分享美国公立校经历和心得     

     

    通过这些年来在美国几所小学和高中的经历，在教学上我已经相当自信。每当我觉得有些迷惘或者寂寞的时候，一想到有那么多中文老师都和我一样在辛勤努力地工作、那么多人曾在我前行的路上一直帮我，我就不敢有一丝懈怠。我希望所有中文老师在教学这条道路上顺风顺水。遇到挫折时，也请你跟我一样坚信：我们终有一天会成功。加油！中文全文

     

    Please read more at the Mandarin Institute here.

  • Mandarin teacher workshop, July 23-27 in San Francisco

    NOTE:  This program is designed  for “newer” Chinese teaches. From our previous programs, many participants had less than 3 years teaching Chinese language teaching experience. And, teachers with more experiences also benefited from this program. Again, it is open to all Chinese teachers.

     

    Dear Friends,

    The Mandarin Institute STARTALK Chinese Teacher Preparation Program 2012 registration is now open. It is an unparalleled opportunity for newer Chinese language teachers and teachers who are new to teaching in US classrooms, to gain concrete classroom experience teaching American students. For qualifying teachers the tuition fee will be waived and consideration for travel stipends will be given.

    Participants will engage in daily workshops led by master in-service instructors addressing issues such as teaching in the target language, immersion teaching skills, differentiated instruction, integrated performance assessment and classroom preparation. This program emphasizes “hands-on” training and enables participants to practice what they learn in authentic American classrooms with REAL students. Each micro-teaching opportunity will be followed by in-depth debriefing sessions. Critical communication skills will be learned through interaction with REAL school administrators, teacher peers and parents.

    Register now before seats are full!

    http://www.mandarininstitute.org/STARTALK2012_Teacher

    Program Dates: July 23 -27, 2012
Time: 9:00AM – 4:00PM
Location: Chinese American International School

    Contact: Benson Zhao bzhao@MandarinInstitute.org (415) 861-0966

  • HISD Names Principal for Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School

    Bryan Bordelon to lead the school, which opens in August

    February 9, 2012 – The Houston Independent School District has selected Bryan Bordelon as the principal of the new Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School.

    Bordelon speaks Mandarin Chinese with advanced proficiency and has a Master of Arts degree in China Studies from the University of Michigan. He is also pursuing a Master of Educational Administration as part of the University of Texas Collaborative Urban Leadership Project, a joint endeavor between HISD and the University of Texas. Bordelon has worked as a classroom teacher and currently serves as an HISD Teacher Development Specialist providing job coaching and support for English Language Arts teachers.

    “After conducting an international search, we found the right person to lead this exciting new school right here in HISD,” Superintendent Terry Grier said. “Bryan Bordelon is a perfect fit for this position. He recognizes the importance of preparing students to be global citizens and shares our commitment to offering a rigorous academic program at every grade level.”

    The school is currently accepting applications and those received before March 9 will be given priority. Visit the HISD Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School website (click here) for more information about the school or to download a copy of the application.

    Bordelon was raised abroad and spent 18 years living in Asia, the Middle East, and South America. In addition to speaking English and Mandarin Chinese, he also has some proficiency in Spanish and French.

    “I look forward to engaging the students in Chinese,” Bordelon said. “The kids are going to pick it up quickly. It is going to be second nature to them. They will have a much easier time learning the language than students in middle school, high school, or in their college years.”

    Students at HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School have the opportunity to become fluent speakers, writers, and readers of Mandarin Chinese, the most spoken language in the world. They will also participate in enrichment activities that will highlight the Mandarin Chinese culture.

    The school will be located at the current Gordon Elementary campus, 6300 Avenue B in Bellaire. It will initially serve students from prekindergarten to second grade. Core subjects of language arts, math, science, and social studies will be taught primarily in Mandarin Chinese with time set aside each day for English language development instruction.

                                                                                                                        

     

    The Houston Independent School District is the largest school district in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States with 281 schools and more than 200,000 students. The 301-square-mile district is one of the largest employers in the Houston metropolitan area with nearly 30,000 employees.

    For more information, visit the HISD website at www.houstonisd.org.

                                                                                                                         

  • Illinois to decide whether to continue Mandarin immersion

    Dist. 220 parents say funding Chinese program would create hardships

    In the minds of many parents in Barrington Unit District 220, it’s an either-or decision that awaits school board members Tuesday when they choose between continuing a fledgling Chinese language immersion program or keeping class sizes in check.

    While most say they have nothing against the Chinese program, they believe the $243,000 it could cost would prevent the district from maintaining appropriate teacher-student ratios in other classrooms.

    “Don’t forget about the general education classroom,” said Mary Margaret Olson, a retired teacher whose granddaughters attend North Barrington School. “Having been in education myself, I know you can’t run these programs on soft money — grant money — because it isn’t always there year to year.”

    The Chinese immersion program is on the chopping block after the district learned last month it would no longer receive a federal grant to fund it. The program, in its first year, teaches Mandarin Chinese to students beginning in kindergarten and potentially through high school. After graduation, the students would have an option to continue the program at the University of Illinois.

    Please read more here.

  • Mandarin immersion in Idaho

    MERIDIAN, Idaho (WTW) — Adam Li holds up a tomato and asks his kindergarten class to identify it.

    “Fan qie!” a half-dozen students eagerly call out.

    Li next holds up a potato.

    The students quickly respond: “Tu dou!”

    In the classroom next door, Susan Parker stands before her first-grade class using an interactive smart board to show various monetary combinations. She points to a $1 bill and a penny, inquiring about the amount. A dozen kids raise their hands. Parker calls on 6-year-old Keirstan Knutson

    “Yi yuan ling yi fen,” answers Knutson, who comes to school from Mountain Home each day.

    These scenes of kindergarten and first-graders speaking, reading and writing Mandarin Chinese does not take place in a distant land, but at a Meridian School District elementary school in West Boise.

    Gateway School of Language and Culture is the only public elementary school in Idaho joining the national trend of adding Chinese to its curriculum, Principal Craig Ayala-Marshall said. It’s Meridian’s only dual-language elementary school program. Elsewhere in the Treasure Valley, the Boise district offers a Spanish dual-language program at Whitney and Whittier schools.

    Please read more here.