GRAVETTE — The only images displayed on the large television screen at the front of the room are several lines of what appear to be random scratches. What do they mean?
Suddenly a hand appears on the screen, holding a marker. Another row of scratch marks quickly appears.
Just as suddenly a smiling face appears, larger than life, and words as indistinguishable as the scratches fill the room.
What seems to be a mish mash of sounds is answered by similar responses from students who have been engrossed in watching the screen. The interplay continues and it becomes evident that a learning process is taking place.
Such is a picture of aclassroom at Gravette High School where several students are beginning to learn a most difficult language: Chinese.
Nine GHS students are involved in the program which is in its fifth year at the Gravette school. Six are in a beginning class, Chinese I; three are in Advanced Chinese II.
Teri Finnell is facilitator for the class at GHS, which is being received through a phone video system broadcast from Farmington. There, the instructor, Fang Xie, whose parents still live in China, connects with several other area schools including Prairie Grove and Springdale.
The course is offered through the Educational Cooperative and students earn high school credit for the two-semester course. Chinese II students can also receive college creditthrough the University of Central Arkansas.
“Chinese is a difficult language to learn and write,” Finnell said, as she explained the difference in the educational systems of the two countries. “High school students in China live in dormitories and attend school year round with only a few breaks from school ... Student education in China is taken very seriously. Students are expected to excel in order to go to college, which is extremely competitive because hundreds of thousands of students are wanting to go to college to avoid more laborious work and have a better future for themselves.”
She explained that, during the year of classes at Gravette, students “learn to speak the Chinese language, write characters and Pinyin (the Chinese alphabet) and recognize tonal differencesin language vowel structure. They will learn more than 100 Chinese characters before the school year is over.”
Second year students continue in the educational process in becoming more fluent and comfortable with the new language.
In addition to the regular curriculum, Gravette is the only Arkansas school which offers a Starttalk Summer Chinese Course through the University of Kansas Edwards Confucius Institute. This is a two-week course for incoming ninth through 11th graders to acquaint them with the Chinese language, culture, writing, art and music. This allows them to determine their interest in pursuing the school-offered classes.
There is a small fee, most of which is returned upon completion of the two-week sessions. Last summer nine local students participated, Finnell said.
A special project for the Chinese II students this year has been making a short video in which they speak the language, including welcoming the upcoming Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon, which begins Jan. 23, 2012.
The video will be combined with others into a consolidated program to be sent to China. “It will become part of a worldwide transmission and will be seen by millions worldwide,” Finnell said.
By the time this article appears, semester tests have been completed and Gravette students will have been tested on writing and reading as well as an oral (speaking) test between students.
All six of the students in Chinese I indicated they want to continue their studies. Several said it was “fun ... a challenge” and noted the importance of learning another language.
Among the three Chinese II students, all appeared to enjoy the class and the interplay with the instructor. Tatiana Polydore, who had begun a study of Chinese while attending school in Texas, spent two weeks the past summer in China, where she learned firsthand about the culture and conversing on a day-to-day basis.
Finnell said, as the facilitator, “I have really enjoyed being involved in both classes and the summer program. It has been rewarding to me to see our students learn and progress and I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of their learning.”
Finnell, who did not speak Chinese, demonstrated her learned skill by demonstrating the different vowel tones that can be a real challenge.
Students interested in learning the language during the summer course, or next year, may contact Finnell for information.
News, Pages 2 on 12/21/2011