Week #1 of our Winter 2010 session, and oh my! Those who were around for our first session that started the last week in October of last year would hardly recognize the place. The difference? People! Thanks largely to a wildly successful Groupon experience (631 people bought our deal), we’ve got multiple sessions of Spanish, Italian and French, as well as a beginner-level Mandarin class. Our cafe is filled before class with folks relaxing and enjoying some tea, coffee or wine (and they’re actually starting to talk to each other, too).
Interestingly, today’s New York Times reported that schools through the US are rushing to offer Mandarin Chinese classes – and in many cases, the Chinese government is helping pay for them. Among middle and high schools, 4% – up from 1% in 1997 – are teaching Mandarin, and it’s predicted to be the third most popular AP language test, following Spanish and French.
Unfortunately, many schools are cutting their foreign language programs altogether, often citing No Child Left Behind as a factor in that decision. In this ever-more-global world we live in, that’s a decision we can’t afford to make.
