By Jill Tucker
They were the first batch of students to enroll in the district's new Mandarin immersion program, one of only a handful across the country offering immersion in this particular language.
It was a leap of faith for parents. The program, one of a handful of Mandarin programs in the country, lacked materials and teachers, and nationwide there wasn't a lot of professional experience in teaching one of the most difficult languages to learn.
Fast-forward nearly six years.
The first class of Starr King Mandarin students is heading to middle school - all of them capable in reading, writing and arithmetic in both English and Chinese. Of the original 23 students, 16 remain. Nine other students joined the program in later years.
By and large, the program has been a success, but not without growing pains every step of the way, said parent Ijnanya Foster, whose son Durrell Laury is among the fifth-graders moving up to middle school.
"When each school year was over, you could wipe the sweat off your brow and say we made it," she said. "We were the guinea pigs."
But the early days were hard. Few native Chinese speakers signed up, although the program was billed as being dual immersion with a promise of having a split of English and Mandarin speakers in the classroom.
In addition, qualified teachers were hard to find, and those hired were stuck with a limited selection of textbooks or assessment materials.
Starr King Principal Greg John, who arrived at the school two years ago, described it as the "Wild West days" of the program.
Still, with a classroom of predominantly English speakers, it took only a few days before those first 5-year-old students started to understand individual words within the sounds coming out of their teacher's mouth. Sit. Backpack. Listen.
Soon they could count to 10. Recite colors. Write simple characters.
Like sponges, they learned a new language while learning to read, write and do arithmetic.
Jack Gaughan, now 11, can remember those first strange and confusing days six years ago. "Jacket" was the first word he learned in Mandarin.
"It sounded a lot like Jack in Chinese," he said smiling.
He doesn't know how many Mandarin words he knows now. There are a lot. And he can speak, write and read them.
On a recent day, fifth-grade teacher May Feng used only Mandarin as she reviewed fractions, basic algebra and some geometry for her students.
"I think their listening skills are really good," Feng said. "I speak very fast."
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Jack Gaughan is among the first students to have enrolled in the Mandarin immersion program at Starr King Elementary in San Francisco. Of the original 23 students, 16 remain with nine joining later. |
They were the first batch of students to enroll in the district's new Mandarin immersion program, one of only a handful across the country offering immersion in this particular language.
It was a leap of faith for parents. The program, one of a handful of Mandarin programs in the country, lacked materials and teachers, and nationwide there wasn't a lot of professional experience in teaching one of the most difficult languages to learn.
Fast-forward nearly six years.
The first class of Starr King Mandarin students is heading to middle school - all of them capable in reading, writing and arithmetic in both English and Chinese. Of the original 23 students, 16 remain. Nine other students joined the program in later years.
By and large, the program has been a success, but not without growing pains every step of the way, said parent Ijnanya Foster, whose son Durrell Laury is among the fifth-graders moving up to middle school.
"When each school year was over, you could wipe the sweat off your brow and say we made it," she said. "We were the guinea pigs."
Seeking a solution
District officials hoped the program would revive Starr King, a persistently under-enrolled and struggling school, by attracting diverse families who wanted their children to learn an increasingly important world language.
But the early days were hard. Few native Chinese speakers signed up, although the program was billed as being dual immersion with a promise of having a split of English and Mandarin speakers in the classroom.
In addition, qualified teachers were hard to find, and those hired were stuck with a limited selection of textbooks or assessment materials.
Starr King Principal Greg John, who arrived at the school two years ago, described it as the "Wild West days" of the program.
Still, with a classroom of predominantly English speakers, it took only a few days before those first 5-year-old students started to understand individual words within the sounds coming out of their teacher's mouth. Sit. Backpack. Listen.
Soon they could count to 10. Recite colors. Write simple characters.
Like sponges, they learned a new language while learning to read, write and do arithmetic.
Jack Gaughan, now 11, can remember those first strange and confusing days six years ago. "Jacket" was the first word he learned in Mandarin.
"It sounded a lot like Jack in Chinese," he said smiling.
He doesn't know how many Mandarin words he knows now. There are a lot. And he can speak, write and read them.
On a recent day, fifth-grade teacher May Feng used only Mandarin as she reviewed fractions, basic algebra and some geometry for her students.
"I think their listening skills are really good," Feng said. "I speak very fast."
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