Bakersfield Chinese School Announces Enrollment for New Term

Contact: Amber Chiang, Parent Volunteer, 794-9685

http://people.bakersfield.com/home/ViewPost/72268

August 26, 2008

Bakersfield Chinese School Announces Enrollment for New Term

It’s one of the best kept secrets in Bakersfield, and it’s a great way to learn a new language and experience a new culture.

Each Sunday from September to June, local children and their parents gather at the Chinese Christian Church of Bakersfield to learn to read and write one of the world’s most difficult languages – Chinese – from volunteers at the Bakersfield Chinese School.

Students range in age from five-years-old to teenagers, with many parents also taking classes at this small, weekly school of about 50 students. Local volunteers teach the classes with the aid of textbooks and learning materials and the entire school is run by volunteer principal Ling Liang. Six classes of varying levels of difficulty are taught to address the needs of the novice to advanced Chinese speaker.

“Our students aren’t only Chinese,” explained Liang. “We have some who are of other Asian cultures, some who have one parent who is Asian, and others who are simply interested in learning our language. We make the lessons quite open and understandable for many levels of students. While some of our students speak Chinese at home, they do not understand the application of the language or how to write it and can still benefit from the school’s educational program.”

Classes for younger students are taught using a combination of the spoken word, the Chinese character for the word, and a PinYin translation of the word. PinYin uses Roman characters in combination with one of four tone symbols to help with pronunciation. For example, familiar characters like b, c and j are taught with a variation on the typical English pronunciation. “b” would not be pronounced “bee” as in English, but rather “bo”. “c” is not “cee” but rather “tse” and “j” is not “jay” but “gee”.

Also with language learning, students learn songs and skits and are immersed in cultural education. Three performances a year accompany the education, and are an opportunity for students to display their skills for family and friends. The largest is the Chinese New Year celebration, held annually at Panda Palace.

“My son was a student at the school last year, and my daughter will start this year,” explained parent volunteer and student Amber Chiang. “Not only has my son been able to improve his communication with his father’s side of the family, but I’m learning the language too.”

According to historical documents, Chinese have been in Kern County since the mid-1800s when immigrants were employed as labor to build railroads. In 1870, U.S. Census information numbered 52 Chinese in an overall Bakersfield population of 259, and in the 1880s, local farmer J.B. Haggin employed an estimated 1,000 Chinese at his farms. While the 2000 U.S. Census numbers Asians at a mere 4.3 percent of the local population, the community remains as tightly knitted as at the turn of the century.

“With China displayed on a world-wide scale through the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, there is renewed interest in this vibrant and ancient culture,” explained parent volunteer Li Kang Liu. “The Bakersfield Chinese School provides a good opportunity for people looking to learn more about our culture, our people and our language.”

Enrollment for the 2008-2009 school year will be on September 7, 2008 at the Chinese Christian Church of Bakersfield at 1830 Truxtun Avenue at the corner of Truxtun and F Street in downtown Bakersfield at 1 p.m. At 1:30 p.m., teachers will take their classes to the assigned classrooms for an introductory meeting and distribution of textbooks. Fees for the year-long school are $260 per student, with a textbook fee of $10 or $20 depending on the class level, and are due at registration.

Students should be at least five-years-old and able to read to attend the Bakersfield Chinese School. Students attend class each Sunday from 1:30 – 3:45 p.m. with a 15-minute snack and restroom time. Days off include holidays, winter and spring breaks and the summer.

The Bakersfield Chinese School is a volunteer-operated language school founded in 1988 in order to provide Chinese language learning opportunities to local children. Questions about the school or enrollment can be emailed to bakersfieldchinese@gmail.com.