Did you know that languages are easier when you learn them as a child? That’s why the Chinese immersion is so GREAT. The Chinese immersion started seven years ago. The students had one half of the day in chinese and the other half in English at Sage Creek. The students can not hear one word in english from their chinese teacher. Making it harder to understand what is going on, and easier to learn the chinese.
Here in the Jr. High it’s different- the students had a option of one period or two of chinese. In one of the classes they learn Chinese spelling and Chinese words. In the other class they learn Chinese culture and history. Mrs. George, the Chinese teacher from sage creek, said “ First graders don’t understand chinese that well seventh graders do!”. As the first graders go through the chinese immersion program they understand chinese more and more. Mrs. Distefano, SJHS counselor and mother of a 5th grade chinese student, said “It is amazing to go to parent-teacher conference and listen to her communicate with her teacher in chinese”.
The students of the chinese immersion program love learning chinese too! Kailey Neilson ,a chinese immersion student here at SJHS, said I “made good friends from it” Kailey also thought it was weird cause the time was way shorter, and another chinese immersion student named Gibson Condie said “It’s fun I like it”. In response to, how is Jr. high different from Elementary school Chinese, the students thought it was way more challenging. Which is good because that means they are making a lot of progress or should be in the future.
In the end with all the facts together the chinese immersion program sounds like the students are learning a lot and the parents are glad they are doing it. Hopefully the chinese immersion program will keep and being successful. The students think that it will go well. The chinese immersion program is very small so far because so far in the Jr. High it is only the seventh graders but when it is it will be fun for the whole school to have chinese students!