Chinese school
Encyclopedia : C : CH : CHI : Chinese school
In Western countries like the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, a Chinese school is a school established explicitly for the purpose of teaching the Chinese language (of the various Chinese dialects, nowadays Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese Chinese is almost always the one taught) to American-born Chinese (ABC), Canadian-born Chinese (CBC) youth, and the youth born in the respective countries.
Typically, Chinese children attend Chinese school either after school (that is, elementary or middle school) on weekday afternoons, or on Saturday mornings.
Chinese schools are very popular with Chinese parents, who encourage their children to go to Chinese school from a young age. Some Chinese children, however, dislike Chinese school and drop out by middle or high school.
Besides teaching the Chinese language, Chinese schools serve as social centers allowing Chinese immigrants and their children to meet other Chinese families. Chinese schools also counter the loss of Chinese culture brought on by cultural assimilation into North American society.
Chinese schools are credited with maintaining the relatively-high proportions of North American Chinese youth who are able to read or write Chinese, at least to a limited extent. (Spoken, as opposed to written, Chinese is likely learned as much at home as in a Chinese school.)
External links
- [Basics on Chinese Schools] from Liberty House Company
- [National Council of Associations of Chinese Language Schools]
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