nwasianweekly.com
June 28, 2008

Photo by Tara Clark

Wenxin Huang-Gillis teaches Mandarin to young children at Sponge.  

Children at Sponge School soaking
in the Chinese culture

By Sarah Yee

Northwest Asian Weekly

Many adults would not understand baby blabbers, but are babies intelligent enough to understand adult conversations?

At the Sponge School, children from newborn to 5 years old are here to learn Mandarin. Teachers encourage these toddlers to count “yi er san,” show gratitude with “xie xie,” and sing the familiar tune of “London Bridge is Falling Down” in Chinese.

“It’s natural to them,” said Taryn Zier, director of communications at Sponge. “Language is so powerful for kids. Our school reaches out to really young children.”

The school offers programs in Spanish, French, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. Recently, its Chinese program surpassed the Spanish program to become the most popular language and many parents’ favorite.

“Because of the hype surrounding Mandarin, and China becoming more economically powerful, the Chinese program is getting more popular. Spanish is more what people have done over the years,” said Zier.

On a Saturday morning, instead of exposing kids to cartoons on TV, parents accompany their kids to learn Chinese in an interactive classroom. The classroom has toys, snacks and a native Chinese teacher.

Wenxin Huang-Gillis, who started teaching since the founding of Sponge, conducts the class in playful and creative ways. During the 55-minute session, she speaks only Chinese to the parents and children. In addition to the language and props, she uses her enthusiasm, body language, hugs and a big smile.

Regardless of their ethnicities, the toddlers repeat the Chinese words back to Huang-Gillis. During snack time, one child made the initiative and asked Huang-Gillis for more crackers by saying, “Hen duo hen duo” (many many). The classroom’s parents broke into laughter.

“We want to offer a quality program,” said Zier. “We use things that are meaningful to kids. We do a session about things in the house, things in the park, words and activities associated with kids. Learning things that are meaningful to them is very powerful.”

In addition to the weekly classes, Sponge School provides parents with cultural tips, monthly newsletters, and highlights of community events and TV programs.

Huang-Gillis recalled that her students would recognize Chinese expressions and menu items when they go to Chinese restaurants. They make the language connection with people they see outside the classroom, which makes them want to discover more.

“Also, they want to go to China because they like the Chinese class,” said Huang-Gillis.

Every time Huang-Gillis returns from visiting her homeland China, the toddlers and parents display strong curiosity. They ask her about what she did or ate, who she met in China, and Huang-Gillis is more than happy to share her experiences.

Jackie Friedman Mighdoll, the founder of Sponge School and a parent of two children, recently returned from a family vacation to Shanghai. Her children, who are 4 years old and 2 years old, have taken the Mandarin class for over two years. It was the first time for the family to visit China, but they were not afraid to speak up.

Mighdoll recalled her family’s visit to a Chinese tea shop. They stayed for over an hour.

“Adults want to learn more about tea. Kids want to play more with the xiao pen yao (little friends),” said Mighdoll.

Mighdoll’s family also enjoyed Chinese music during their stay. At a music store in Shanghai, they spent some time listening to Chinese tunes. Because of their exposure to this type of music in class, the style was not foreign to them. They had the chance to play erhu, a Chinese two-string fiddle.

“It’s not fancy performance, but it was at the kids’ level (so) they could participate,” said Mighdoll.

Before they left China, Mighdoll’s 2-year-old son wanted more opportunities to use Chinese. The toddler used Mandarin to ask a Chinese security guard, “Where is the bathroom?” They received a nice smile, while the security guard held his little hands to walk to the bathroom.

“The more you speak, the more you want to speak. … It’s the thrill of asking, and people are thrilled to show,” said Mighdoll.

It’s thrilling for teachers and parents to see such young children immersed in a different culture and embrace their ability to learn.

As Huang-Gillis described her teaching experience, she puts herself in a variety of roles.

“[I] speak to kids as naturally as a mom talks to her own child, teach kids as patient as a teacher, act to kids like a funny actor and play fun with kids like friends of their age,” said Huang-Gillis. “For me I am not only teaching Chinese language, but also I am trying to propagate Chinese culture and let people know China and Chinese people well.”

For more information about the Sponge School, visit www.spongeschool.com.

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