Learning Mandarin

When Seattle Public School Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson met with the Seattle Times Editorial Board today, I asked her about a new foreign language program and any potential conflicts posed by China's language-teaching agency, Hanban and American public schools. There are 60 Confucius Classrooms and university-level Confucius Institute programs in the U.S.

Goodloe-Johnson responded that she was more swayed by the prospect of more increased foreign language opportunities and the sight of African American children at Denny Middle School standing on the stage speaking Chinese. She's got a point. Foreign language profiency ought to be de rigeur in American education. Mandarin is the most spoken language in the world with more than a billion speakers. Emerging markets in Asia heighten the need to know at least one Asian language. Students wanting to pick up a second or third language would do well to choose Mandarin.

There are cognitive advantages to speaking a foreign language, some outlined in this interview. The earlier children pick it up the better. More children are studying a second language, according to this article, although it doesn't quantify the growth.

I've heard a smattering of concern that China may use this program to somehow influence American education and policy. I think the more likely event is that our children will learn more about the language and cultures of the world around them.

How important is speaking multiple languages to you? Are foreign languages part of your educational aspirations for your children?