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Twelve years
ago, I came to the United States speaking Chinese. Six years later, my
parents sent me to Chinese School speaking English. The gap between these
years had a disastrous effect on me-as a first generation Chinese immigrant
surrounded by an English world, I had lost total exposure to Chinese except
within my family. Thus, I had let my language skills in Chinese deteriorate.
Fortunately, before all could be lost, my parents decided to send me to
Chinese School, whereupon I was left to salvage what I could from the
remnants of my Chinese skills.
At that time, as a sixth grader, I had protested furiously against my
parents' decision. I had just started middle school, where I had discovered
that both schoolwork and extracurricular activities had increased manifold
and that there was definitely considerable less time in the day to complete
all my tasks. Because of this, I thought that Chinese School was a total
waste of my time, but my parents remained firm in their decision.
"Chinese is important," they said, "Just try your best."
So grudgingly I began to attend Chinese School weekly, where people spoke a
language that was unfortunately becoming foreign to me.
As I progressed through Chinese School, I began to discover again the beauty
of the language and the importance of attaining fluency in it. Furthermore,
through my study of Chinese, I learned about different aspects of Chinese
culture that I wouldn't have known otherwise. And of course, I met
very interesting people in my classes whom I wouldn't have met in regular
school. Subsequently, it was a huge surprise to me when I actually discovered
that Chinese school was an enjoyable experience.
Chinese school has not only taught me Chinese. Through Chinese
school, I learned about discipline, organization, and responsibility. The
added work of Chinese school to my other activities required that I become
more focused at home-just so I will be able to complete all my work in time.
This responsibility and time management that I learned through Chinese school
of course has applications to everything I do-from studying for tests to
organizing a club meeting to learning vocabulary words for the SATs.
Partially because of the study skills I learned from having to manage my time
wisely because of the extra work from Chinese school, I have high grades and
SAT scores.
Currently, I am a senior in high school, in the process of applying to many
extremely selective colleges. I have been told numerous times from admission
officers and college counselors I have met that knowing a language such as
Chinese is an invaluable skill. In the world of college admissions, many of
the applicants to distinguished schools such as Ivy League schools will
mostly have the same credentials-high grades,
high SATs, good leadership skills, etc. Therefore, the applicants with
distinguishing characteristics will be the ones admitted. It is obvious that
not everybody knows Chinese. Therefore, knowledge of Chinese can set an
applicant apart from another, and can immeasurably benefit the Chinese-speaking
applicant in the long run in terms of admission to college.
In addition, many elite college and universities offer special
International Studies or study abroad programs where knowledge of Chinese is
necessary. Proficiency in Chinese is an admissions requirement at programs
such as The Huntsman Program of International Studies and Business at the
University of Pennsylvania/The Wharton School. Knowledge of Chinese
plays a huge benefit when seeking admissions to highly selective schools such
as the Sloan School at MIT, The Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy and
International Affairs at Princeton University, Georgetown University, George
Washington
University, and others. Later, knowledge of Chinese will make a person a more
favorable applicant for companies seeking to hire employees with diversified
skills.
Knowing all this, I am so glad that my parents decided to force me to go to
Chinese school seven years ago. If there is one thing I regret about my
Chinese school experience, it is that I did not start going sooner. There is
no doubt that Chinese school has had a hugely positive impact on me, both as
a student and as a person.
(孙小音推荐，2002.10）
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