Chinese language teaching in Southern California schools got a big boost on June 4 with the First Annual Mandarin Teachers Conference, attracting over 130 teachers and administrators for a day of networking and workshops on Mandarin teaching strategies.
The conference, held at the Mendez Learning Center in Los Angeles, was presented by the Mandarin in Schools Committee, a coalition of educators dedicated to expanding the teaching of Mandarin in K-12 schools. The coalition was convened several years ago by the Committee of 100 Southern California Region, led by C-100 Vice Chair Stewart Kwoh. One of its first successes , as reported in Committee Bridges, was the 2008 adoption of a Los Angeles Board of Education resolution to expand Mandarin learning opportunities for Los Angeles students.
Rep. Judy Chu (in red jacket) and C-100 Vice Chair Stewart Kwoh (at far right) with educators.
In an impressive show of support for the work of the Mandarin Schools Committee, the conference was addressed by U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu, who spoke about the importance of foreign language acquisition; California Assemblyman Mike Eng; Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent John Deasy; and LAUSD Board President Monica Garcia. East West Bank was the key financial supporter of the conference.
Assemblyman Mike Eng (to right of Kwoh) presented two certificates of recognition at the conference, to the Mandarin in Schools Committee and the Committee of 100.
Among other organizations participating were the Anaheim Union High School District; Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District; School of Education, Loyola-Marymount University; Confucius Institute, UCLA; Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC); Pacific Rim Institute California State University, Los Angeles; and Partnership for Los Angeles Schools (PLAS). Kwoh moderated the conference, which was also attended by C-100 member Charlie Sie.
Other projects of the Mandarin in Schools Committee include $2,000 grants made to each of seven schools to strengthen and expand existing Mandarin language programs (thanks to East West Bank) and providing funding to support teachers so that they can complete the California Subject Examinations for Teachers.
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