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Monday, October 16, 2000

School aims to keep kids in Chinese culture
Children of parents from Asia attend classes at bilingual school on the weekends
By Wayne Parry
Associated Press
SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Like most 12-year-olds in the United States, Calvin Ng loves video games, surfing the Internet, watching cartoons and riding his bike.
   And, like most 12-year-olds, even if he was looking out the window he couldn't tell if it was yu tin, ching tin, or yam tin - rainy, sunny or cloudy in Chinese, the language of his parents.
   He can now. Calvin is one of 150 students enrolled at the new Chinese Heritage School of New Jersey, formed by Asian parents worried that their children were losing sight of their culture. During 2_¤ -hour classes, students are taught Chinese language, dance, painting, poetry, martial arts and a general appreciation of the culture of their elders.
   "Since they were born here, they know about American culture, but I don't want them to forget their heritage, where their ancestors came from, their culture and history," said Lily Griggs, the school's academic director.
   "I want my children to learn to love their Chinese culture," said Connie Chin, whose 6 and 4-year-old children attend the school. "It's important for them to know our heritage and who they are. We understand American culture is very important to our kids, but we want them to understand where their parents and grandparents came from."
   The school, which rents space each Saturday in the Crossroads Middle School, costs $130 for each of two semesters a year. Many parents volunteer time to teach or perform other jobs at the school. There are nearly 20 such schools around New Jersey, said the school's principal, Cornwell Mah. Across the country, a 1996 survey by a Chinese education group found 647 schools in 47 states.
   Most teach in Mandarin, the predominant dialect of mainland China.
   The South Brunswick school teaches mainly in Cantonese, the predominant dialect in Hong Kong, where many of its students' parents are from. Josephine Yan teaches traditional Chinese folk dance to girls ages 3 to 12.
   The dances celebrate various aspects of life in specific regions of China.
   "In Mongolia, they imitate an eagle because up on the plains, they see eagles and falcons a lot," she said. "In coastal regions to the south, they see a lot of fish like carp, and their dances reflect that."
   Most instruction is done in Cantonese so students are immersed in the language as much as possible; this might be the only time all week they get to speak or hear Chinese.
   "I speak English with my kids a lot," admitted Mah, the principal. "The main thing is for them to learn and for us to encourage them to speak more in Chinese."
   It wasn't easy at first for Calvin, who started off in a class for students who know little or no Chinese.
   These students initially are taught in English, then gradually eased into Chinese as their proficiency increases and are eventually enrolled in Chinese-only classes.

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