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克城消息
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傳承中華文化 尋找中國“根”
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克里夫蘭WESTLAKE CHINESE
SCHOOL創辦已有三十年,他們辦學的宗旨是弘揚中華傳統文化,同時爲中西方文化交流架橋樑。現有110個學生,來自72戶家庭。學校每年都舉辦多次大型活動,有慶祝中國新年,中文和藝術比賽,室外暑假宿營活動,今年學校將搞一個圖書展覽會,將聯合鄰近的圖書館一起合作舉辦。圖爲今年88歲的書法老師馬國均老先生在敎學生寫毛筆字。 |
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[本報訊〕克里夫蘭WESTLAKE有一所中文學校,它和其他克里夫蘭的中文學校上的課程也差不多,二堂文化課,一堂藝術課(舞蹈、書法等),成人也有舞蹈班和太極拳班,但這所學校與衆不同的是,始于2002年,
學校爲收養了中國兒童的洋爸爸媽媽,開設了兒童文化班和洋爸爸媽媽成人班。他們帶着自己的“中國孩子”來這里學習中國文化,5年後的今天,
他們佔學生總人數的58%, 換一句話,他們比中國家庭的孩子還要多。本報記者在校長律洋洋先生的帶領下參觀和採訪了學校。
隨律校長走看了幾個班級,在書法班看到一位洋媽媽坐在敎室里看女兒學習書法,看着這個洋媽媽有耐心和愛心地坐在女兒身邊,本報記者對她做了簡單的採訪。她,Ms.
Melinda Mengert是一位管理亞洲市場的經理,對中國十分有好感,她是一個單身母親,她的女兒名叫JOLIE,她于1999年十月到廣東收養了她,當時JOLIE十個月。她們搬到克城才二年多,原來住在匹兹堡,她説她找BABY
SITTER也找中國人,她很高興她自己也能做中國菜,她希望她女兒今後不論在哪里都很自豪自己是中國人,她把JOLIE當心肝寶貝,雖然她不懂中文,但她還跟着孩子用心地吸收中國文化,爲女兒提供和培養一個有中華文化傳統的環境,尋找“中國根”。
美國家庭收養中國孩子,是爲了“SAVE A GIRL A LIFE”
,1992年中國頒佈了《收養法》,外國人收養中國兒童合法化。根據美國聯邦統計局發佈的資料,1992年,美國家庭收養了206名中國孩子;到2003年,這一數字則上昇到了6859名。十幾年里,美國家庭一共收養了多少中國孩子還沒有最準確的數字統計,據説,他們的隊伍比全美國中文學校勢力還大。律校長最後説,學校感謝社區的支持,尤其是衆多學生家長的無私奉獻,就拿這位書法老師馬國均老先生來説,他今年88歲,在美國工作四十多年,二個月前剛從匹兹堡搬到兒子這里,就被中文學校請來敎書法。 |
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文化一班(A) 李素卿老師 (Culture 1A - Teacher Lee, Su-Ching) |
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成人班(B) 童興齡老師 (Adult B - Teacher Chou, Rosa) |
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Chinese students get a taste of U.S.
CULTURAL CONNECTIONS
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Chuck Humel / Chronicle Kalin Ngo, 12, of Westlake, and Emily Cole,
11, of Elyria, draw out the story to the Chinese children's song "Two
Tigers," while Jiahui "Julia" Zhong, 12, of Changsha, China, turns
around.
Catherine Ashenhurst
It may be the most youth-oriented cultural exchange program in Lorain
County history.
Four students ages 10 to 12 from Changsha, China, have been visiting
with students from the Westlake Chinese School since Aug. 3 and will
be here until Tuesday, said Sharon Van Houte, an assistant professor
of Spanish and English as a Second Language at Lorain County Community
College. Van Houte is a member of LCCC's International Initiatives
team, which worked to arrange the visit.
"This program is unique because it deals with younger children," she
said. "They are opening their eyes to the world and expanding their
horizons."
The Westlake Chinese School, an extracurricular program held at the
Lee Burneson Middle School in Westlake, has an enrollment of more than
100 students and provides Chinese language classes and cultural
information to anyone interested in these subjects, according to the
school's Web site. Seven of the local students are participating in
the exchange.
"The students at the Westlake Chinese School are either adopted from
China, have siblings who are adopted from China, or just students who
have an interest in learning Chinese," Van Houte said.
The Chinese students attend the Quingzhuhu Foreign Language School, a
governmentally subsidized, nine-year residential school with an
enrollment of more than 1,000 students. Dr. Annouska Remmert,
professor of English as a Second Language at LCCC and another member
of the International Initiatives team, approached the administrators
there when she visited China in 2001. Administrators on both ends have
been trying to establish the exchange since the first contact, but
international red tape, including difficulties obtaining visas for
students, delayed the commencement of the program, Van Houte said.
Now that the program is under way, students from both schools have
been practicing their language skills with each other, in addition to
participating in a variety of activities and field trips, such as
touring the LCCC television studio and going to the Cleveland
Metroparks Zoo. They also visited The Chronicle-Telegram earlier this
week.
Jiahui Zhong, 12 — who uses Julia as her English name —said that she
is getting along well with her host family.
"They are all very nice, very kind and very friendly," she said. "I
would come back to America."
"The American kids are interested in learning the language and
culture," Van Houte said. "It's great; we need a greater awareness of
other cultures."
"I was really excited to do it," said Emily Cole, 11, of Elyria,
regarding participation in the program. Sisters Annie and Mary DeVito,
both 9, of Rocky River, said having a Chinese student living with
their family has been fun.
"She's just like us. She does what we do," Annie said.
"We play games with her. We like having her at our house," Mary said.
Though there have not been any details worked out, Van Houte hopes
that one day the program will include American students going to
China, alternating years with different groups of Chinese students
coming to America.
"That's the next step, after this year's camp is over and we see how
things have gone," she said. "We'd like to send some kids."
The idea seems to generate excitement among the American students. "I
can't wait to go to China," Emily said. "I want to go for sure."
The DeVito sisters are interested in going to China, too. "Just to see
what it's like," Annie said. |
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