By Jodi Yim James, Staff Writer
“Every school in Minnesota would love to have a Chinese language program.”
Ursula Lentz, Minnesota Department of Education
Ursula Lentz is the new World Language expert at the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). When I spoke with her, she had been on the job for all of three days.
Previously, Jan Kittok was the World Languages Coordinator for MDE; Kittok is now the World Languages Administrator for all of Minneapolis Public Schools. She was featured in an earlier interview for China Insight.
Lentz’s official title is MDE World Language & English Learner Education Specialist. Her contact information is 651-582-8664, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Since Lentz has only been on the job three days, we are going to give her a break and get back to her later when she is comfortable in her new hat. However, it should be noted that Lentz worked for many years on language assessments with CARLA (Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition) at the University of Minnesota.
By Jodi Yim James, Staff Writer
“Really, when it comes to teaching Chinese, Minnesota is seen as a leader,” said John Melick, who was the director of Chinese language initiatives for the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) in 2008. This was only two years after MDE Commissioner, Alice Seagren, led an education delegation to China in 2006. What began as a question asked by Governor Tim Pawlenty during his trade delegation trip to China in 2005 – If Chinese students are learning English, why are our students not learning Chinese? – had become, under his leadership, an initiative for Mandarin language education in Minnesota.
By Jodi Yim James, Staff Writer
The Chinese character 福fú means Good Fortune or Blessings. 福fú is one of the most popular Chinese characters and it is used to decorate everywhere during the celebration of the Chinese New Year. 福fú is also commonly posted artistically on a permanent plaque or framed painting inside homes with the intended message of "Blessings" or "Bless This House."
By Jodi Yim James, Staff Writer
Perhaps the most important relationship of this century is the United States and China. Unfortunately few Americans are fluent in the Chinese language of Mandarin. Furthermore, most Americans have limited understanding of the Chinese culture, outside of eating take-out chow mein, which is not really Chinese cuisine. Without fluency in Mandarin and without Chinese cultural understanding there is limited insight of how to work together effectively in this important 21st century friendship. It is significant to consider that Chinese students are, for the most part, required to study the English language at school in Mainland China.
Publisher's Note: This article has been replaced by a new searchable database. Please click here to go to the China Insight Chinese Schools database.
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