At Lebanon High School this year, we are offering a course in Chinese. In partnership with staff from the University of Oregon, this is the first time we have offered a course of this nature. The course makes use of both technology and educators fluent in Chinese and has a different format than a traditional foreign language course. Sometimes I wonder in these cash strapped times if providing these types of experiences is worth it. Then I get forwarded e-mails like this written by a special education student who is taking the course....
When I heard of this course I wasn't sure weather I would want to stay in it or not. But when learned about how it is a pilot program I decided that I should give it a try since I actually have never done well in classes of the traditional language teaching ways. Even when my folks told me I shouldn't do this, that I got to much on my plate for classes, that Chinese is a extremely difficult language to learn. No matter what anyone will say to you, no matter who they are and how much they mean to you. You never let those people talk to you in giving up on something that is different and can help you learn. This is something I know and have learned from being in high school.
Priceless. The most important lessons kids learn in high school they don't learn from a book. I don't wonder any more.
