SCHENECTADY Language study expanding City schools put increasing focus on Arabic, Chinese BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
It is becoming like the halls of the United Nations in Schenectady’s schools, as the district plans to offer courses in Arabic and expand its Mandarin Chinese offerings this fall. Arabic studies will be offered at Central Park Middle School, King Magnet School and Paige Elementary School. Ron Hamelin, coordinator for world languages and English as second language services, said King and Paige were selected first because of the programs and themes of their schools. King is a magnet school and Paige has the largest number of ESL students with a substantial Middle Eastern population. “Arabic is the fastest-growing studied world language in the United States,” he said. Arabic study is even surpassing Chinese studies in terms the number of people seeking to study it at colleges and universities. “It’s also the fifth-most widely spoken language. It represents a wide portion of the Middle East and portions of Africa,” he said. Hamelin said less than 1 percent of FBI agents speak Arabic and those who do have a very low profi - ciency. Students who are proficient in it would be able to find jobs in international business. The district began offering Chinese during 2006-07. Hamelin said students in fifth, sixth and seventh grade are learning it and more than 100 students will have been exposed to the Chinese language and culture. Both Chinese and Arabic are considered priority languages by government officials. Hamelin said both Chinese and Arabic are level four — the most difficult rating. This means they require about four times as many hours to become proficient as a level one language. French and Spanish are level one; German and Germanic languages are level two; Russian and Cyrillic languages are examples of level three. Hamelin said the studies will then expand to the other schools including Schenectady High School. District spokesman Karen Corona said Hamelin has been invited to be part of a state critical languages board to help other districts develop programs. Matt Weinheimer, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said the district wanted to expand these language offerings to make the program more rigorous and allow the education to be somewhat reflective of the greater community. Also starting in September, the district will require all seventhgrade students to study foreign language. Weinheimer said this would allow the students to achieve a greater level of proficiency.
I remember when Spanish and French were the only languages offered in school. I wonder what constituted just those two languages at that time?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
SCHENECTADY School officials back from China, to expand city language program BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
A standing ovation was about the last thing Schenectady City School District officials expected during a visit to a Chinese classroom recently. “When we came in, they all stood and applauded — a little different than we’re used to,” said Ellen Auerbach, program director for the Foreign Language Assistance Program. “I think education is very valued. They know that’s the only way they’re going to get ahead.” Auerbach and Ron Hamelin, district coordinator of world languages and English as a second language, spent June 23 through July 1 as part of an effort to expand the district’s Chinese language programs. They were among 400 educators from 40 states attending the Chinese Bridge Delegation, which is sponsored and funded by the Chinese government to promote Chinese language and culture. The government covered most of the cost of the trip, which was about $4,500 per person. Each had to pay $900. The tour started in Beijing. The two city educators visited classes of 9th and 10th graders in two schools. Auerbach said the classes were much larger than in the United States, with 40 to 50 students in a class. However, she said, there seemed to be no discipline problems. “Students were very anxious to practice their English with us,” she said. Hamelin said he was impressed that many of the students spoke English very well. The students in China start learning the language as early as second grade. DISTRICT OFFERS CHINESE The Schenectady City School District began offering Chinese during the 2006-07 school year. Starting this fall, it will offer year-round Chinese instruction in seventh and eighth grade at Mont Pleasant Middle School. It will also offer Chinese in fifth and sixth grades at the four elementary schools that feed into Mont Pleasant — Pleasant Valley, Van Corlaer, Hamilton and Howe. Hamelin said Chinese is a particularly difficult language to learn because the writing system is not phonetic but based on symbolic characters. He found it strange not being able to decipher the name of the street or the building he was entering while visiting. “It is like being in another world with a completely different, strange, wonderful writing system,” he said. Hamelin said the group hit the traditional tourist spots, including the Great Wall of China. Hamelin also climbed the wall at a section where it was not flat, but at an incline. “It’s hundreds and hundreds of stairs,” he said. Auerbach noticed that Beijing is a smoggy city with bumper-tobumper traffic. There has been a tremendous increase in the number of automobiles during the last five to 10 years as wealth has increased. She also noticed that there were many people from the United States there either working or as students. “They’re recruiting lots of Americans who might want to come there and teach English,” she said. The district started offering Chinese as a 10-week program in the spring of 2007 at Howe International Magnet School. The plan is to expand it to the high school in the fall of 2009. The sixth grade instruction would be three times a week for about 37 minutes per session. The amount of fifth grade instruction is still being determined. The district is also offering Arabic this fall at Central Park Middle School, King Magnet School and Paige Elementary School. These new offerings grew out of a federal language assistance program grant that it received from the Department of Homeland Security. Both Chinese and Arabic are listed as “critical” languages for economic and security purposes. Hamelin said there has been discussion about expanding Chinese instruction to other schools. However, Hamelin said because Chinese is a critical language, there are not a lot of teachers available. “We’re very fortunate to get a second teacher,” he said. Eventually, the district hopes to take students to China just as it takes French students to France and Spanish students to Spain. Also this summer, Auerbach said, the district is going to host a two-week summer camp at Union College from Aug. 4 through Aug. 15. About 40 5th- and 6th-graders would be learning Chinese language and culture. Auerbach said this foreign language experience is valuable. “The world has become very small and we can no longer say that everyone will learn English,” she said.
Good thing they looked into expanding with new languages. After all, the residents of the city school district really should be wanting to pay just a little bit more for this, since it's something that the kids will be using every day, huh?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
They need to get rid of Eubonics first......how about detention or suspension for not using proper english......then, move on to mastering other languages....language is always the first barrier for dividing and conquering----just look at the politicians.......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Schools open doors to a high-tech future From classes in Arabic to nanotechnology, kids prepare for a new world
By PAUL GRONDAHL, Staff writer First published: Wednesday, August 27, 2008
May Saffar has a big assignment this fall. She's been hired to teach Arabic, one of the world's most challenging languages, to 125 fifth, sixth and seventh graders in the Schenectady City School District. And she'll have to do so in 37- and 43-minute class periods.
"I'm very excited about it, although I could always use more time," said Saffar. The Iraqi immigrant is on the leading edge of new courses offered this year across the Capital Region.
The expanding curriculum aims to enable students to compete in an increasingly high-tech, multicultural, 21st century workplace. And if there's one mantra in new foreign language courses -- as well as technology initiatives -- it's the earlier, the better.
That's the thinking behind a new dual-language immersion class in Spanish and English for 4-year-olds being this fall in the Albany City School District.
There will be nine children whose native language is Spanish and nine whose native language is English in the new dual language pre-K at the Delaware Community School. It had been offered for K through grade 5 students since 1996.
"The parents have been asking for this for years," said Spanish teacher Melanie Pores, who helped develop the program. The new pre-K teacher will be Ana Banda-Wemple, who had been a bilingual teacher in Peru.
"We're piloting this approach for pre-K," said Pores. The students will alternate languages for half of each day. The little tykes will attend a full day of instruction, from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
"Our schools are becoming more multi-cultural and bilingual at a fast pace," Pores said. "Our English speakers and Spanish speakers learn from each other, working in the same classroom."
At the Albany Academies, a more advanced, third level of Mandarin Chinese is being offered this fall, and it will now fulfill a foreign language graduation requirement along with Latin, French and Spanish.
"We constantly ask ourselves what will our students need to be prepared for the 21st century and to succeed in college and beyond," said Stacey Giordano, academic dean for the Albany Academies, a co-educational prep school with 650 students in early-childhood through 12th grade.
Giordano is also accelerating the use of technology and expanding the science curriculum at the 195-year-old institution. High school students now spend four years working on an independent research science project and their classrooms will be outfitted this fall with 20 new Smart Boards, the interactive high-tech teaching device. They were purchased for about $5,000 each, through a gift from the Class of 1958 from the former Boys' and Girls' Academy during their 50-year reunions this year.
At Albany High School, courses in nanotechnology taught in conjunction with researchers at the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science & Technology have been so popular that they'll double the capacity to 40 students. They'll also offer advanced nanophysics and advanced nanobiology this year.
"We need more math, science and nanotechnology majors. We hope this program stimulates the interest of these high school students in those areas," said Michael Carpenter, an assistant professor at the nano college who works closely with the students.
"The earlier the students are exposed to nanotechnology, the better," Carpenter said.
There has been heavy demand for the advanced nano courses, said Dan Stilson, instructional supervisor for K-12 science in the Albany school district.
The Albany High students, facing a difficult economy, are getting the inside track on well-compensated, high-tech jobs.
"This is going to fulfill a major need in the Capital Region for skilled workers," said Stilson. He said they'll place some graduates directly into certificate programs at the nano college for service technician jobs."
Computer companies such as IBM, with operations at the sprawling multi-billion dollar complex along the Washington Avenue Extension, have said they need to hire hundreds of skilled workers in coming years.
Many of the high-tech jobs pay in the $80,000 range, Stilson said.
Now that's the kind of green you don't need to be a math wiz to appreciate.
Grondahl can be reached at 454-5623 or by e-mail at pgrondahl@timesunion.com.
SCHENECTADY District starting courses in Arabic Sixth- and seventh-graders offered language classes BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Michael Goot at 395-3123 or mgoot@dailygazette.net.
Some sixth- and seventh-grade students will be learning an alphabet with more than 26 letters this year. The Schenectady City School District is starting courses in Arabic. May Saffar will be teaching seventh-grade students at Central Park Middle School and sixth-grade students at Central Park and the Paige, Woodlawn and King schools. Saffar, who is a native of Baghdad, has spent the past three years teaching Arabic classes at Hudson Valley Community College and also taught last year at Union College. “There is a big demand for the Arabic language,” Saffar said in a brief presentation to the Schenectady Board of Education on Wednesday. Saffar explained that Arabic is different in that it is read from right to left instead of left to right. Also, it has 28 or 29 letters. She said there is a discrepancy because some forms of the language combine two particular letters into one. Also, it is different because the language is always written in cursive. “The script is joined, meaning there is no print form of Arabic,” she said. Central Park Principal Tonya Federico said the seventh-graders will have daily instruction for 43 minutes and the sixth-graders will have instruction two or three times a week for 37 minutes. The district has been increasing its language offerings during the past couple of years. The district in the 2006-07 year began teaching Chinese to some fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grade students. Starting this fall, it will offer year-round Chinese instruction in the seventh and eighth grades at Mont Pleasant Middle School. It plans to offer Chinese in the fifth and sixth grades at the four elementary schools that feed into Mont Pleasant — Pleasant Valley, Van Corlaer, Hamilton and Howe. The goal is to expand Chinese offerings to the high school in the fall of 2009. Arabic and Chinese are listed as critical languages by state and government officials. Both are rated as a four — the most difficult — on the scale of how challenging languages are to learn.
Isn't this the same story(post #12 above) from august 27th, post #10? Just one week later (sept 4th post #12) and they are printing the SAME story. The only difference is the reporter and perhaps the wording revised.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
SCHENECTADY Students taking to Arabic classes Language part of district’s expanded offering BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
“Sorirart Biro’aitak” said May Saffar to her seventh-grade class at Central Park Middle School. That means “nice to meet you” in Arabic. Schenectady City School District sixth- and seventh-grade students at Central Park and sixthgraders at Paige, Woodlawn and King schools are learning Arabic letters, phrases and culture this year. Seventh-graders are receiving daily instruction for 43 minutes and sixth-graders are meeting two or three times a week. This Arabic class is part of the district’s expanded language offerings. The district is starting yearround Chinese instruction in the seventh and eighth grades at Mont Pleasant Middle School and plans further Chinese offerings later. Both are listed as critical languages by state and government officials. Saffar, a native of Baghdad, Iraq, is teaching them the fundamentals of the language. She proceeded to write what looked like a cursive script on the board. “Who can tell me how many letters we have in the Arabic language?” she then asked. “Twenty-nine or twenty-eight,” answered one student. Some forms of the language combine two distinct letters into one. Saffar explained that Arabic is written in cursive form only and read in the reverse from English. “We write from right to left,” she said. The students practiced various phrases in pairs in Arabic such as “goodbye” and “What’s your name?” They then practiced writing a letter that looked like the symbol — > — with a dot on top of it and is equivalent to the letter “L.” She instructed the children to practice at home. “You are going to be better writers than your teacher, mark my words. My script is more functional,” she said. She checked the students’ work to make sure the letters were crisp and that they did not pick up any bad habits. After the writing lesson, Saffar spent a few minutes talking about the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. “It’s really not a month of celebration,” she said. Rather, Saffar said it is a month of fasting. Practicing Muslims cannot eat or drink daily until sundown. They also pray and read the Quran. She said Muslims fast to develop self control. “It is not to starve. During that, you are self-reflecting on other things. You are to watch what you say. You are to watch your behavior,” she said. “Discipline is the main philosophy behind fasting the month of Ramadan.” The classroom bell ended Saffar’s lecture. Saffar has taught Arabic classes for the past three years at Hudson Valley Community College and also last year at Union College. She said middle school is a different environment. Instead of seeing the students maybe twice a week like in college, she is seeing them daily, which requires different lesson plans. Also, adults are independent learners, but this puts more responsibility on her and she wants to make sure her young students learn. “As a mother, my maternal instinct jumps out constantly,” she said. Arabic is rated a level four language to learn on a scale of one to four. One particularly difficult aspect is that the words can take on different meanings depending on accent marks. She said in addition to learning the language, she wants to impart bits of culture and history, especially when there sometimes may be misconceptions of Muslims. “I really sense a hunger for information on all campuses,” she said. Twelve-year-old Alex Hariraj said he is enjoying learning the language. “I like the foreign sounds you have to make when you talk,” he said. Another classmate, 11-year-old Ethan Peterson, said he was a little apprehensive when he first learned he was going to take Arabic. “My thoughts were ‘Oh God, this is going to be really hard,’” he said. Not quite two weeks into the class, he said the classwork is not as bad as he thought. “I enjoy the writing. It’s not like other languages so it’s supposed to be harder to learn,” he said.
ANA N. ZANGRONIZ/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER Arabic language teacher May Saffar writes in Arabic while teaching her seventh-grade class at Central Park Middle School about the holiday of Ramadan Tuesday.
ANA N. ZANGRONIZ/ GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER Arabic teacher May Saffar checks Gulsuma Sarpas’ progress with her letters during class at Central Park Middle School Tuesday.
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