Published: July 17, 2006 04:19 pm      

Speaking Chinese in the classroom — Preparing today’s youth for a global education

Public school students in the Mountain State need to think about the world, and speaking Chinese would be a good start, according to state schools Superintendent Steve Paine.

Paine, who recently returned from a week-long trip to China, has indicated he would like to bring Chinese instructors to schools in West Virginia within the next few years.

Although more than 200 million students in China study English, only about 24,000 students in the United States study the Chinese language, according to Paine. When the statistics are further studied, it seems that only one school in West Virginia — Sissonville High School in Kanawha County — is offering a Chinese class, and that won’t begin until this fall.

“We’ve got to get kids thinking about the world,” Paine was quoted in an Associated Press report as saying. “If I could have just spoken Chinese, what a world of opportunities I would have had.”

Opportunities, indeed. Any effort by educators to further broaden and enhance the educational opportunities for West Virginia youth must be exploited to its fullest.

A world of untapped opportunities will soon be available to our students, who are rightfully entitled to a well-rounded education to prepare them for future opportunities on a global scale.

To help remedy the situation, the College Board announced earlier this year a plan that would place 250 teachers in U.S. classrooms during the next three years to teach the Chinese language. The non-profit board is overseen by former West Virginia Gov. Gaston Caperton, who administers the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the AP reported.

During his trip overseas, Paine said he met with Chinese school officials, who indicated they would be willing to send teachers to the Mountain State.

Paine’s trip was made possible through a deal with the Chinese government and the college board. He was the only state superintendent to be invited on the trip.

Although a worthwhile idea, teaching the Chinese language to students in the Mountain State is simply a starting point toward providing a well-rounded education. Teaching our youth about West Virginia, and the United States, is only the beginning.

While we must educate our students about the world, it would be short-sighted to limit that education just to China. In today’s society, a global economy demands a global understanding, and a well-rounded education is the key to that success.

West Virginia’s public school students do need to think about the world. Speaking Chinese is simply a start. We strongly encourage the state board — and Paine — to ensure that today’s youth are ready for an ever-changing world tomorrow.