The Adventures of Baby Arthur

by Lincoln

Today I decided that I should perform some cursory research on schools. I have no clue how to pick a school, which schools Arthur is eligible to go to or what the process of any of this even is. (I'll tell you in advance right now that I still have no idea). Up until now, I've only had vague ideas of what I wanted in a school for Arthur.. like a school where metal detectors aren't needed or a school where all those nice well-to-do Manhattan-ites send their kids! So I popped open the NYC Department of Education's website and they told me to punch in some information to find my "zoned" schools. Then came up a list of PS this, M that.. what does it all mean? Which one is any good?? So my next step was to Google "Best Schools in NYC" and up came this list from New York Magazine. There I recognized the fourth school listed, P.S. 184: Shuang Wen School, which had also came up from my DOE search. So maybe now I'm getting somewhere!

I visited the Shuang Wen School website and started to read about their mission as a "the first dual language and dual culture public elementary and middle school in English and Mandarin Chinese on the east coast. Shuang Wen School incorporates a dual language and dual culture approach with parental involvement and community support to prepare its students to attain the highest standard in an increasingly global society."

Ok, I can dig that: bilingual skills, multi-cultural society, Chinese roots, and exposure to different cultures. As I read further about their mandatory after-school Chinese program from 2:30-5:30PM, my hands involuntarily began to break into a cold sweat. The brutal memories from years Saturday Chinese School came rolling in. The feelings from the torture of MORE classwork inflicted upon me from my parents! The agony! The boredom! And the stark truth that all of it was a COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME!! That's right, a waste of time. I have lost everything I learned and my Chinese is barely conversational at this point.

But I regret it. I do regret that my Chinese stinks and that I won't be able to pass much of our heritage to Arthur. Yes, we are Americans, but the mix of our society is what makes America what it is. From a practical standpoint alone, it's just useful to be bilingual.



Take Arthur's little cousin Wylie. His parents (my cousins of the same age) Moira and See-fut are speaking mostly Chinese with him at home with the hopes that he will grow up bilingual. There's a valid reason for my inability to speak Chinese aside from my laziness in Chinese school. Unlike Moira and See-fut's parents, my parents are both bilingual and completely fluent and comfortable speaking in English. They spoke mostly English with me as a young child and by the time they tried switching me back to Chinese, it was too late. The reason they made this decision was because of my oldest brother, whose kindergarten teacher suggested that my parents speak English to the rest of us because of my older brother's linguistic difficulties. They listened.

There's no doubt that children have an unbelievable ability to pick up languages. Dr. Frenchy strongly recommends a bilingual household if it's possible. My cousins Moira and See-fut, as well as many other friends and family speak both English and another language just as fine despite not speaking English at home. I do regret that I am essentially a one-language person and it is very ironic that I am considering a bilingual Chinese school for Arthur.

I say "I am" considering, because Liz is not sold on this idea and she has her doubts! I have my own doubts as well and no decision has been made.



Rest assured, no matter what languages they speak, I'm sure Wylie and Arthur will have no problems communicating. Or it might be time for me to get started on Rosetta Stone!

Labels: parenting, speech