{"id":5246,"date":"2012-09-12T13:19:27","date_gmt":"2012-09-12T18:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/?p=5246"},"modified":"2014-04-07T07:15:49","modified_gmt":"2014-04-07T12:15:49","slug":"new-teacher-brings-chinese-culture-and-language-to-phs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/?p=5246","title":{"rendered":"New Teacher Brings Chinese Culture and Language to PHS"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Having lived in Chinese-speaking countries for nearly five years, Ms. Horkey enjoys teaching English-speakers the language. "It has been a joy to me," she says. Photo by Pauline Dagaas<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

By Pauline Dagaas<\/em><\/div>\n
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Ms. Anna Horkey is like most teachers at Plymouth High School. She devotes much of her time teaching students, enjoys working with them, and hopes to inspire them. However, what differentiates her is the subject she teaches as well as her passion for this foreign language and the rich culture behind it.
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\nWhen asked \u201cC\u00f3mo est\u00e1s?\u201d or \u201cComment allez-vous?\u201d students easily respond with the typical \u201cBien, bien\u201d or when it comes to French, \u201cJe suis bon.\u201d On the other hand, when asked \u201cNi zenme yang,\u201d students laugh uncertainly and hesitate to reply, but with good reason. In comparison to Spanish and French, much of the PHS student body is unfamiliar with the Chinese language particularly because such a language course was not offered in the past. This, in turn, has created a similar effect to the community. \u201cIt is not a commonly known language in Plymouth,\u201d states Sophomore Jessica Celmer.<\/div>\n
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Although Chinese remains foreign locally, studies reveal otherwise on the international level. Rather, results indicate it to be one of the most spoken languages in the world. Additionally, several American news sources including the New York Times, Wall Street<\/em> Journal<\/em>, and Financial Times<\/em> have began catering to the growing Chinese population here in the U.S. and in China, now introducing Chinese versions of their websites. The intention is to increase international awareness of their brand, and therefore attract more readers. The New York<\/em> Times<\/em> for instance, hopes to \u201cdraw [Chinese] readers from the growing middle class\u201d as stated in one of the paper\u2019s articles covering the new addition. With the increasing prevalence of the Chinese language, one\u2019s desire to speak Chinese, could certainly become an advantage, if not a necessity, in the future.<\/div>\n
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For some, however, it started as a desire. Ms. Horkey grew up in northeast Nebraska where she attended Sioux City High School, far from the Asian continent, far from Plymouth itself. While her hobbies initially included listening to music, singing, drawing, and ultimate frisbee, she soon found an interest which would combine all of her passions into one, with the exception of music and frisbee. \u201cI loved it [Chinese]! Speaking it was like singing to me and writing it was like drawing, so it encompassed two of my favorite things to do,\u201d she states. To pursue her interest, she majored in Chinese studies, later graduating from Valparaiso University.<\/div>\n
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Fortunately, Ms. Horkey has had the opportunities to enhance her Chinese speaking skills. Having lived four years in mainland China and one year in Taiwan, she is now fluent in the language. However, to Ms. Horkey, the most influential aspect of her immersion was not wholly acquiring a new skill but rather, developing a greater understanding and appreciation of the culture, having experienced it firsthand. Her fondest memory includes living in Yunnan, a southwest province of China. \u201cIt is a beautiful province with stunning scenery and many interesting people,\u201d she states.<\/p>\n

Living four years in the country, Ms. Horkey additionally noted several differences between American and Chinese youth. She found one in particular most interesting. While many are aware that students raised in China tend to be more studious, the degree to which they focus on their studies may be surprising. \u201cChinese high school students are either in school or in study hall from about 6 a.m. until 10 or 11 p.m.,\u201d she says. According to Ms. Horkey, students are under enormous pressure to excel in order to get into a good college and as a result, are forced to focus most on their schooling. In fact, social activities such as dating are forbidden by parents, teachers, and schools. Whether dating were permitted or not, Ms. Horkey states that Chinese students would still date less than others because of limited time.<\/p>\n

Yet these differences are what make the Chinese culture most interesting. For example, while it may differ greatly compared to America\u2019s, when asked what her favorite part of China was, Ms. Horkey responded with, \u201cThe food. Obviously.\u201d She adds, \u201cChina is a fascinating place with many cultural differences but I will never be bored with Chinese or China!\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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Learning Chinese for the first time, Junior Sommer McClellan teaches herself how to write Chinese characters. Though the class is challenging at times, McClellan is glad she took it. "It's fun to learn something that you don't hear or see often," she states. Photo by: Pauline Dagaas<\/p><\/div>\n

Despite Ms. Horkey\u2019s vast knowledge of the Chinese culture and language, she still feels Chinese can initially be difficult to learn and others would agree. \u201cMy parents and friends think I’m crazy for taking it because it is hard,\u201d states Junior Tyler Wagner, a student in her class. Junior Sommer McClellan finds it challenging remembering the characters as well as their translations. \u201cI first thought I was never going to pass Chinese,\u201d she says. Though complex, Ms. Horkey sympathizes with her students especially since she too once found memorizing characters an obstacle. But in her experience, she does know that it is possible and over the years has began to reap the benefits of her skill. \u201cEven when it is difficult, it has afforded me some amazing opportunities to meet many interesting people and interact in different cultures,\u201d she says. Because of this, she hopes to change their mindsets. She adds, \u201cI hope that my students can love Chinese as much as I do!\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, Ms. Horkey\u2019s mission seems to be working. After his class\u2019s first lesson, Wagner states, \u201cI thought it was different but interesting.\u201d Celmer similarly says, \u201cAt first I was a little freaked out when Ms. Horkey talked about tones, characters, and how easy it is to mix up words in Chinese. But seeing how fun she makes the class helped me relax and have fun learning Chinese.\u201d<\/div>\n

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Teaching can be a struggle as well. \u201cThe most challenging thing is keeping a lot of different information in one’s mind at one time,\u201d Ms. Horkey says. However, it is clear that students are already gaining an appreciation and a greater knowledge of the Chinese culture, a goal she intended to accomplish. This benefit makes all the difference. \u201cWhen you see a student “get” something you have taught them, seeing them learn and grow, is definitely the most rewarding part of teaching,\u201d she states.<\/p>\n

As the Chinese-speaking population continues growing, being fluent in this language carries numerous advantages, whether it be in the business world or everyday life. With Ms. Horkey\u2019s new Chinese class to lead the way, PHS students will be able to reach for those opportunities.
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By Pauline Dagaas Ms. Anna Horkey is like most teachers at Plymouth High School. She devotes much of her time teaching students, enjoys working with them, and hopes to inspire them. However, what differentiates her is the subject she teaches … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,6],"tags":[29],"class_list":["post-5246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-feature","category-school-news","tag-september-2012"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5246"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/178"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5246"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9017,"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5246\/revisions\/9017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}