Chinesewings.com 2004/02/16

　　6th graders in Schnepfenthal Salzmann School are already capable of greetings in Mandarin. “I’ve counted, we’ve learned nearly 143 phrases so far. The phrase I like the most is ‘thank you’,” says one of the students in Chinese.Schnepfenthal Salzmann School is the only school that requires Mandarin, Japanese or Arabic as its required courses.
　　The 6th grade students are already half a year into their Mandarin studies, which occur four times a week with antive Chinese speakers, practicing their characters, phrases, grammar, and intonation.
　　This school, situated in Freistaat Thüringen, is the only educational institution that lists Mandarin, Japanese or Arabic as its required courses. Studies in these foreign languages begin in the 6th grade. Out of the three languages, Mandarin is the most popular with over half of the student population preferring Mandarin as its foreign language requisite. Fellow student Yulia explains, “I asked travel agencies and the people around me, such as my grandmother, before making my decision. They said, Japan is too small and its people learn English anyway. Furthermore, a lot of people are already learning Arabic. Mandarin on the other hand is an unique, beautiful language.”
　　Mandarin classes are held in small classes of a maximum of eight students. They learn words and phrases of Han Putonghua. The two teachers, Lin Shen-Tsao and Chen Chi, are of Chinese descent and native speakers in Mandarin. Up till now, they have always taught at universities, so instructing children was a new experience for them. Chen Chi says, “The teaching methods are different; you don’t have to incorporate games when teaching adults. However, when teaching children, you have to make sure you remain lively and animated to keep their interest. We often play games in class in order to learn, such as numbers game and many more.
All the students are diligent in their studies. There yet remains a student who had to repeat a year because of he/she didn’t make the grade in Mandarin. Take Yohanna, for example, who was awarded the highest score of 1; she feels that German Mandarin translation I easy.
　　Teacher Chen Chi discovered trouble spots after a few sessions with the children. He points out, “Each Chinese character has a set number of brushstrokes. You cannot just add or take away a brushstroke.”
　　Schnepfenthal Salzmann School has only been established for three years, but its students learn two foreign languages up to 7th grade where they then learn two more foreign languages starting 8th and 9th grade.
The principal Dirk Schmidt explains, “Starting from fifth grade, students learn English. In 6th grade, they start their journey in a language not of European origins, such as Japanese, Mandarin or Arabic. In 8th grade, they learn a language of the Roman family and in 9th grade, they choose a language from the Slavic family.
　　Students wishing to attend Schnepfenthal Salzmann School must undergo a comprehensive exam. The objective of the exam is to pinpoint if the student has a talent for learning foreign languages. Yet the appropriateness of it all remains to be questioned as there is no precedent in Germany or the European Union regarding children simultaneously learning four different languages.
　　Above concerns set aside, there remain other problems with learning languages not of European origins, such as Mandarin. Germany does not have a standard for professionals who teach Mandarin, nor are were there studies or evaluations done in the past. The principal of the school is aware of the fact and states, “We must constantly evaluate our work progress. Every year, every grade undergoes observation and assessment to see if the progress is in accordance with the learning plan.”
　　To students, they couldn’t care less. The students love Mandarin regardless of their teachers’ qualifications.