Lessons in an ancient culture

WINCHESTER -- Judy Qian said her 9-year-old son, Mike Chen, was not happy when he learned she had signed him up for a Chinese language class at the Winchester School of Chinese Culture.

''He didn't want to come," said Qian, of Winchester. ''He said we didn't ask him" if he wanted to go.

But Mike, a fourth-grader at Lynch Elementary School, now admits the school isn't so bad.

''It's really hard to read Chinese, but it's also kind of fun because it's different than English," he said.

His mother, however, said the class is more meaningful than one might imagine.

''I don't speak English well and he didn't want to speak Chinese, but now he is starting to speak at home. We are so happy," Qian said. ''My husband and I like this school very much. It is a good idea for them to have fun and learn something."

The Winchester school is one of five started in Greater Boston over the last three years by the New England Chinese School Association.

Like the other schools recently established in Boston, Framingham, Acton, and Andover, the Winchester school is a reflection of a growing demand for schooling in Chinese language and culture brought on by increases in the number of Chinese and Chinese-American residents in Boston suburbs and by the heightened recognition of China as a key economic player in the world.

Though the number of residents of Chinese ancestry remains small in many of the suburbs north and west of Boston, those populations have grown substantially in recent years.

In Winchester, for example, about 450 people claimed some Chinese ancestry in the 2000 Census, more than twice the number who did so in the 1990 Census. In Lexington, there were 1,752 people of Chinese ancestry counted in 2000, a jump of 75 percent from 1990; in Belmont, 761 people reported Chinese ancestry in 2000, 147 percent more than in 1990; and in Andover, the 416 people saying they were Chinese in the 2000 Census represented a hike of more than 200 percent from 1990.

Kun Chang, president of the Chinese school association, said that 26 of its 29 schools are in Massachusetts, where the number of immigrants has grown in recent years.

Chang, a Wellesley resident whose two children attend the Lexington Chinese School at Belmont High School, said the popularity of the schools is growing largely among three groups: Chinese immigrants who want their children to retain their native language and culture; parents of children adopted from China with the same goal; and parents who simply want their children to learn Chinese as a second language.

''There's more exchange and trade between China and America, so the overall number of people learning Chinese is continuing to grow," Chang said.

The Winchester School of Chinese Culture opened at Muraco Elementary School in September. Classes for children in preschool through sixth grade are held Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Students can learn Mandarin and Chinese culture. There is also a bilingual class for English-speaking students who can't understand lectures in Mandarin. And there are other courses such as SAT preparation, gymnastics, drawing, dance, chess, ping-pong, calligraphy, arts and crafts, math, chorus, and chess. The dance, gymnastics, and Chinese calligraphy classes are also open to adults.

Tuition is $130 per class per fall or spring semester with some discounts available. The spring semester begins in February. Students are offered a two-week trial, and fees are prorated for students who join mid-semester.

Cofounder Annie Wang, a biologist who lived in Winchester before moving to North Reading in 2003, said she wanted to form a Chinese school in Winchester to save local residents from having to commute to similar schools in Newton, Cambridge, and elsewhere in the Boston area.

She and Lian Yu of Winchester, who is also a biologist as well as principal of the Winchester School of Chinese Culture, had definite ideas of how it should be run.

''Now that we have our own kids, we want them to inherit our culture, but with our own way of doing things," said Wang, noting that school in China when she was growing up was ''very strict" without the option for students to move around and engage in hands-on activities.

The Ma Liping textbook series used at the Winchester School of Chinese Culture, on the other hand, features ''active" learning methods such as words on a computer screen that change color during the lesson.

''We're very lucky we can take the best of the Chinese and American cultures," Wang said. ''After we realized our loss of Chinese culture, we wanted to get back and promote Chinese culture. It is actually an urgent historical task. If we don't pick it up, it will be even more difficult for later generations."

Turned down for class space by various organizations in town, Yu said, she approached Muraco School principal Rosalie Tashjian because she was impressed by the commitment to diversity and the global community expressed in the school's online vision statement. Tashjian agreed, in exchange for a nominal rental fee plus reimbursement for the cost of paying a custodian while the school is in session.

The Winchester School of Chinese Culture opened its doors Sept. 12 to about 40 students. Since then, Wang said, the number of students has increased to about 70, largely through word of mouth.

In fact, word soon spread to several parents who have adopted children from China.

Tricia Wieczorek of Stoneham, whose adopted daughter, Mia, will turn 3 on Jan. 28, said her fear of not fitting in ''went out the door" within minutes. Other mothers immediately reached out to her, even translating when necessary.

''Mia's father and I don't speak Chinese, and I won't ever be able to put myself in her shoes," said Wieczorek, ''but this is my way of helping her become comfortable and proud of who she is.

''It's tough enough for girls growing up, without the added identity twist of being Chinese-American with Caucasian parents," said Wieczorek, whose daughter participates in the preschool Chinese language class. ''This is more than a school; it's a community. I enjoy it here as much as she does."

Joan Craig of Winthrop, whose 3-year-old adopted daughter, Kate, also attends the preschool language class, seconded Wieczorek's sentiments about being welcomed at the school.

''We're the minority, but we don't feel that way," she said. ''It's a wonderful group of families."

The preschool class teaches Chinese through dancing, singing, and playing games to motivate the children and build a foundation for future study.

''I want Kate to hear the language, experience the culture, and be with people who look like her," Craig said. ''I sit in on the class, so we're learning together. It's more than what I wanted to get out of it."

Parents of Chinese descent have similar goals for their children. Ellie Chen of Malden brings her 4-year-old son, Colin, to learn gymnastics and Mandarin, since their family speaks Cantonese at home. ''It will make it easier for him [to be bilingual] if he learns when he's young," she said.

Jerry Wu of North Andover said his 4-year-old daughter, Jessica, enjoys gymnastics and singing Chinese songs in the prekindergarten language class. ''We try to teach her Chinese at home, but it's difficult," he said. ''It's important for the kids to be in an environment like this."

Vicky Tam of Winchester said she was excited to learn that the Winchester School of Chinese Culture was opening close to her home, since the Chinese school her 8-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son used to attend recently moved from Malden. Both of her children take Chinese language classes, while daughter Julia also participates in Chinese dancing and son Adrian takes gymnastics.

''I'm always looking for activities for my kids," she said. ''I want them to learn something instead of us just going shopping at the mall all the time."

To give more students that opportunity, Wang said, school officials are discussing whether to move school hours so that people can come after attending church services. She said her goal isn't necessarily for students to become fluent in Chinese, but rather for them to recognize and embrace their colorful heritage.

''We want them to have it all," she said.

For more information about the Winchester School of Chinese Culture, e-mail wscc.info@gmail.com.