克城消息

我敎學生學中文

    加州高等法院大法官劉弘威應邀在克利夫蘭的城市俱樂部作演講大法官劉弘威演講結束後,林慧玲老師與她的十名學生在CLEVELAND CITY CLUB 合影 布郞俊是我一個中文課堂的學生. 他從十二歲就開始和我學中文. 一直對世界局勢非常感興趣..而且特別對中國, 美國的現況常常喜歡發表個人的見解. 除了他以外, 費克林,葛尼克,倪阿德等一群學生平常當然也是非常熱中於討論中美國家大事, 可是一提起中國電影就更加的起勁. 常常喜歡看陳龍.李連杰,周杰倫主演的中國功夫電影.
   我在上學年給學生們出了一個題目.”在美的華裔”做專題硏究報吿. 學生們非常踴躍的各選其好. 有的報吿了奧林匹克花式滑冰錦標賽冠軍得主關穎珊, 更多人報吿了著名女明星劉玉玲演藝生涯. 當中費克林同學對當時在加州的政壇上頗有貢獻的駱家輝做了詳細的報吿. 當時我有些失望.獨自的納悶, 為甚麼只有羅家輝-現任美國駐中國大使被提出來做報吿的對象呢.我知道我們不只在娛樂界有無數居家消解趣味的知名影片.還有許多對美國的政策制定有不少的影響力的傑出華裔.

     當我在二月初從台灣同鄉會的鄉訊中得知在艾克隆市劉醫師的姪兒現任加州的高等法院大法官劉弘威被邀請來克里福蘭的城市俱樂部作演講時, 覺得這是一個不可多得的機會.我就很興奮的給主事者打了電話報名. 可是, 當時所有的名額已滿了. 博學高中是佔第四所候補校. 在我之前還有三所高中等著候補. 我當時很失望的掛了電話想博學高中是不可能會得到這個機會去聽演講了. 沒想到就在演講餐會的四天前,我接到城市俱樂部的報名主任的電話吿訴我說,他們可以提供給我十個名額. 我盡速呈請我博學高中的校長,副校長,敎務主任的特別批準我帶領九名學生參加. 很幸運的我得到博學高中的校長,長官的支持,破例的核準我帶領學生出席.
    與會時, 劉大法官的演講題目是美國的憲法是”色盲的”-對第一位制憲大法官哈倫的分析反省. 哈倫大法官(1877~1911)是當時唯一的異議者,他認為種族隔離在憲法中是不能容忍的,所有公民不應受歧視. 當時有許多的會員提出了發人深省的問題其中包括當前最熱門的話題:武器管制與人權的問題. 我的九位學生都表示他們感到非常榮幸能夠參加這個討論講座. 親眼看到一個從沒沒無聞的移民子弟, 經過努力求學上進而成為在美國頂尖拔萃的華人.
     回想我自己從1992 年開始在密西根州福特汽車公司總部開了日語課程敎總經理和工程師以來,到今天在博學高中開了六年的中文課程從來沒有想到我會成為在美國公立學校的老師,播種中華文化的種子. 我記得在1995 年因為我先生換了工作,我們從密西根州搬到夏歌霖瀑布村. 當時一整個村里只有我們一家是東方人.為了讓我的子女容入這個社區團體,我常常到學校作義工幫老師設計東方文化的活動.過中國年的時候也自己出錢買糖果拿到學校去介紹中國年的節慶.我也常常中午煮幾份又好吃又熱騰騰的午餐盒送到我的兒女的學校去跟他們的同學分享. 完全沒有預想到其實我那時已經在夏歌霖瀑布村學校播下了中華文化的種子. 之後我在受到我母親的鼓勵之下而去找到一所私立大學去兼差敎書交了七年.當我的大女兒升上高中的時候, 我三番兩次去夏歌霖瀑布村學校的敎委會,總監督的辦公室毛遂自薦的去推銷中文敎育. 當我得到夏歌霖瀑布村學校總監督首肯後, 我一開始就有三班達到四十五個優秀學生報名甄選.
     而在夏歌霖瀑布村學校開中文課之前我也已收到海莎薇-布朗女子學校的聘書在敎中文課程,海莎薇-布朗女子學校的學生們學習中華文化極其熱誠.可是我知道要讓學生學習中文的熱誠和興趣延續的話, 不能只靠在課堂的單面敎學.還需要許多多采多姿文化活動. 藉著伊利華報的創辦人浦瑛穿針引線後, 我促動了海莎薇-布朗女子學校與北京六一中學建立了良好的關係.我在2007年帶領了十七位女學生到中國遊學參觀了無數名勝古蹟也訪問了六一中學建立了兩校的友誼. 同一年我也帶了夏歌霖瀑布村的十名學生從北京-西安-上海然到台北的金山, 陽明山遊山又玩水眞不虛此行.其中夏歌霖瀑布村的一名學生高中畢業後繼續到普林斯頓大學主修心理學在學中又到中國做硏究.
     在夏歌霖瀑布村學校敎了兩年的中文後,博學高中的人事主任打了好幾次電話來請我去他們的學校開中文課.經過與我的先生,女兒一番討論後決定換到博學高中敎中文.換到博學高中也有六年了.這當中有的學生在上了一年中文課以後因為家庭的關係搬了家換了學區.可是在一些偶然的場合碰到那些學生的時候,他們都會過來跟我問好打招呼,也有的學生因為跟不上中文課程而退了中文課, 可是那些學生有空時總會來我的敎室找我.還有,我的兩位學生獲得全額獎學金到北京留學一年其中也繼續的和我保持聯繫. 還有蔡札克是跟我一起去參加劉大法官演說餐會的一個學生. 他今年六月就要從博學高中畢業了.他今天跟我說他已經被四所有名的大學錄取了. 他要主修法律.他的志向就是要像劉弘威大法官一樣成為高等法院的大法官. 這些無數道不盡的例子就是激勵我每天一大早起床摸黑到學校撒播中華文化種子的總動力.

博學高中中文敎師 - 林慧玲

My Chinese Experience
Zachary Chaikin

With the estimated number of speakers being over a billion, Mandarin Chinese seemed like a very good choice to study as a foreign language. Little did I know when signing up to take my first course of Chinese in the seventh grade all the wonderful opportunities that would come about as a result of my study of the language.
The year I entered middle school in the SouthEuclid-LyndhurstSchool District in 2007 was the same year the district introduced the option of studying Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language. I was amongst the first class of students at our school to sign up to study the language and continued my study through the four levels of classes our school district offers, taking Chinese up until and through my junior year of high school. My study of the language has been my gateway to many blessings over years, especially in the embodiment of the wonderful friends I have made through my classes as well as the aid and instruction of my teacher, Mrs. Hui-Ling Haldeman. Indeed, through the guidance of my teacher, I was able to pursue many wonderful learning opportunities outside of the classroom. These have included participating in such programs as the 2008 and 2009 Chinese Summer Immersions Camp offered through the OhioStateUniversity as well as having travelled to and studied in the Chinese cities of Beijing and Wuxi, Jiangsu, during the summer of 2010 through ClevelandStateUniversity’s Confucius Institute and Hanban.
Having completed all of my school’s available Chinese courses, I hope to continue my study of the language in college. My teacher still provides opportunities in which to involve myself in the Chinese language program at our school. One such opportunity was attending a meeting of the City Club of Cleveland along with other Chinese students from our school to listen to the guess speaker Justice Goodwin Liu of the California Supreme Court. Being a student seriously considering a career in law, I found his words to be most interesting.
The study of the Chinese language is something I strongly encourage all students who are able to take advantage of it. The language currently has over an estimated billion speakers and China is bound to continue to be a major player in the events of our world for centuries to come. A speaker of Mandarin is guaranteed to have a key asset that could prove useful in a great many career fields of the modern world.

Hi! My name is Yehosef Brown, and I go to Brush High School in Lyndhurst, Ohio. I am currently in Chinese 2, and enjoying learning the language and culture of China. On of the key reasons why I chose to take Chinese is because of the emergence of China. As China becomes a world power, I think it is essential for Americans to learn their dialect and customs. If more Americans learn about the Chinese culture, it is completing a crucial step for America and China to have great relations in the future. Another reason why I chose to take Chinese is because of China's business presence. As China continues to increase its economy; I believe it would be great if American companies could communicate effectively to the Chinese. Overall, as China has a greater appearance in the world, it is important that Americans adapt. I think for Americans to learn about China's culture, we can start by befriending our fellow Chinese-Americans. On February 22, 2013, I was privileged to hear Supreme Court Justice of California, Goodwin Liu, speak at the City Club of Cleveland. Goodwin Liu spoke about past Supreme Court justices, and how their decisions greatly affect our country. For me, who is very interested in law, it was a humbling experience to hear him speak about significant issues in our country. His speech left me with a better knowledge of the courtroom. It made me realize that each and every word judges speak our backed by hundreds of pages of research. I think it is crucial for more minorities like, Goodwin Liu, to get involved in politics in America. As the amount of minorities increase, they are going to be looking for a solid leader, like Goodwin Liu, for representation. Overall, my opportunity to hear Goodwin Liu was an amazing experience that I will never forget. It displayed that Chinese-Americans are becoming a bigger force in our country, and we will need to change and develop to become a more free country; where anyone, no matter what you look like, can become a Goodwin Liu.

Yehosef Brown

Hello, my name is Nicholas Rossi. I am a sophomore at Brush High School, a member of the Brush soccer and baseball team, and I have been taking Chinese as a class for 4 years. When Mrs. Haldeman, my Chinese teacher, first came to our class with the idea of going to the City Club to hear Justice Liu talk, I was ecstatic. The City Club being the oldest continuous independent free speech forum in the country combined with the fact that my old Stepup teacher always wanted us to go to a Friday Forum, made it sound like it was definitely going to be an interesting and insightful time.
    Although I admit I had never heard of Justice Liu until Mrs. Haldeman mentioned him, after looking up some information about him I could tell his speech would be something I would be interested in. Justice Liu originally received a B.S. in biology from Stanford, a field I am interested in and have often considered as my course for college. His original plan was to become a doctor, and his speech was going to be about why he made such a drastic switch, ultimately receiving his law degree from Yale. He is currently an associate judge on the Supreme Court of California. Most recently, he was Associate Dean and Professor of Law at Cal Berkeley. He was also nominated, in 2010, by President Obama, to a seat on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, but when it became clear that the Senate would not approve his appointment, the nomination was withdrawn. Justice Liu began his speech talking about how Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan and his dissent in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson was the reason he decided to enter the field of law. After hearing Justice Liu’s speech and investigating a little more about Harlan, I could see why Liu was so interested in him. Justice Harlan was possibly the most perplexing person I had ever heard of. He is quoted saying “Let it be said that I am right, rather than consistent,” which is an extremely accurate description of his legal rulings. This quote and Justice Harlan’s quote about “The constitution being colorblind” are what I believe what Justice Liu was so fascinated by. As Justice Liu detailed for us, Justice Harlan was a man who was constantly evaluating his legal and personal opinions about many different topics, and was clearly not bound by any political theory or ideology. Harlan thought law was a complex system in which the search for answers and justice was a constantly evolving process, and it is clear that Justice Liu shares his passion and respect for justice as well as the many dimensions of our legal system. Harlan is often referred to as “the lone dissenter” due to dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson. Justice Liu is widely respected for his writings in the areas of constitutional, education and civil rights law. And sounding a bit Justice Harlan, during the question and answer session, Justice Liu’s recounted stories of how his legal thinking has evolved, and how he has reviewed and revised and even regretted a few of his earlier positions. The hour went by very quickly and Justice Liu’s speech was thought provoking and inspiring, and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to share a little time with a brilliant and thought provoking person like Justice Goodwin Liu.

Nicholas Rossi

Hello, my name is Adriana Nelson. I am a 10th grade student at Brush high school. I am also a fourth year student of Ms. Haldeman's Chinese class. On Friday February 22 I went with my
Chinese class to see Justice Goodwin Liu at the City Club of Cleveland. It was my first time going to the City club. I had a wonderful experience. I learned a lot about Justice Liu. I also learned a lot from his speech. For example i learned that Justice Liu graduated from Yale. After his speech me and the rest on my class got to meet him and take a picture with him. I feel that the trip will be great on my résumé. It gave me a great look at this position for a career choice. I am glad that I was able to go.
 I have been taking Chinese since the fifth grade. I started out when I was homeschooled then I came to Memorial junior high school to continue. At first, Chinese speech and writing was very difficult for me. I felt that I couldn't continue. Then I practiced my writing And speech and got better. Now in Chinese 3, I am a strait A student in Chinese. I've also fallen in love with the language and culture. I feel that Chinese will also be a big part of my future as well.

Adriana Nelson