Grade schoolers learn Chinese from a pro

It's only her second Mandarin Chinese lesson with this particular class at Mahtomedi's O.H. Anderson Elementary, so Dongyang Qu finds it best to start small.

She flashes a picture of a Pizza Hut restaurant near her home in Beijing, explaining that American companies have made their way to China.

When Qu says she hasn't seen a Pizza Hut in her time in Mahtomedi, 10-year-old Jack Atkins responds, "They're all in Stillwater."

Most of the lessons in Mahtomedi's after-school Mandarin program are only slightly more complex, but the district hopes they'll lead to major gains down the road.

Mahtomedi is one of several metro-area districts offering the language to grade schoolers, with an eye toward including it among high school elective options by the 2009-10 school year. Statewide, more than a dozen are offering Mandarin at some grade level.

"There's a lot of information out there that we all need to be learning other languages," Mahtomedi Assistant Superintendent Sue Ann Gruver said.

"The Mandarin focus is one that's worldwide," Gruver said.

Spanish has been mandatory in Mahtomedi elementary schools for six years. Like many districts, it is searching for ways to diversify its foreign-language offerings.

But with a language like Mandarin, which is the most widely-spoken language in the world but has little in common with English, finding qualified teachers is tough.

That's where the 26-year-old Qu comes in. She is in the United States for eight weeks as part of the Minnesota-based International Exchange and Learning Program, which arranges short-term opportunities for foreign-language teachers. Eden Prairie and Edina have also used the program to bring teachers to their schools.

Classes filled in 24 hours

Qu, a middle and high school English teacher in Beijing, found out Oct. 16 she was coming to Minnesota. It is her first time in the U.S.

She's currently teaching three after-school classes a week, which run an hour each and are offered to first- through fifth-graders.

The free classes were met with heavy interest; district community education coordinator Mary George said they filled up in 24 hours.

"China is developing, and there are so many American companies doing business there now," Qu said. "A lot of Americans are interested in learning the Chinese culture."

Qu spends about 40 minutes of each class teaching basic Mandarin phrases and explaining the nuances of the language's different tones, where a word can have different meanings depending on how it is spoken. She touches on writing Chinese characters for 10 minutes and spends another 10 on Chinese culture.

Her biggest surprise so far? Well, that Minnesota Nice thing isn't all it's made out to be.

"People in Beijing are more friendly," she said. "They see a foreigner, and they try to talk to them. I'm one of the few Chinese here, but people don't ask questions about China."

Those impressions must be confined to life outside the school. Inside it, the level of intrigue couldn't be higher.

"We're establishing relationships with teachers in Beijing and throughout China," Gruver said. "Who knows what doors this could open?"

Ben Goessling • 651-298-1546

Ben Goessling • bgoessling@startribune.com