An Interview with my Daughter

What do you like about Chinese school?

The break time, when we get a break from listening to the teacher all the time and walk around and play a bit. I also like seeing my friends there.

What do you not like about Chinese school?

I can't understand what the teacher says most of the time. I also don't like that I have to go to Chinese school when I may want to do something else at the time.

What do you like about learning the Chinese language?

If I go to China, I will be able to talk to my relatives. Even here in the US, I will be able to understand when people around me talking in Chinese.
It's also good to learn another language, especially one my Mom and Dad speak.
When I meet new friends here, some of them would ask me to speak something in Chinese (or Japanese, when they mistook me as a Japanese), I would be able to say something for them.

What do you not like about learning the Chinese language?

It just takes a lot of time.

What is a typical class in your Chinese school like?

We start with a new lesson. The teacher reads for us first. She then tells us to read it ourselves. She may ask some students to recite it individually.
Then she gives us a sheet of paper with new words we are learning for this class. We learn the words by their structures. She may also explain the meaning of the words but I can't understand that.
We then do some exercises and read other parts of the textbook.
Finally, we get our homework.

How do the students talk to the teacher?

Usually the teacher asks questions. This is actually pretty often. Students would raise their hands to answer. Some students raise hands more often than others.
Sometimes the teacher would ask me to answer the question even when I didn't raise my hand. I would just stay quiet and she would move on. This happens to other students too.
Sometimes I know the answer but I still say nothing because I don't feel comfortable. The teacher moves on so fast.

How many students are in your class?

About 20, and most of them can understand the teacher well and answer questions.

Do you talk to each other in Chinese?

Not usually, even those who are good in Chinese don't talk to each other in Chinese.

What do you think about the textbooks?

They are okay, but not really interesting. Nothing I really like, nothing I don't like.

Do you like to read the text aloud?

Yeah, I like to do that at home. But in school I don't like to do that alone. I am not comfortable about my pronunciation. Or sometimes I haven't had the text memorized.

What kind of things would you like to have more in your textbook?

More things close to what I talk and do every day; stuff I would like to talk about, like food, movies, TV, etc.
More activity-like exercises, not just reading;

What do you like about homework?

I like it when it has a lot of different kinds of exercises.

What do you not like about homework?

I don't like having to memorize text. I don't like having to write a sentence on my own using different words, or copy the same words 9 times.

How many new words do you usually learn each week?

About 10. Most of them I would forget soon after.

What's the most difficult thing about learning new words?

Usually the meaning. I can get the pronunciation and structure from the class but I don't understand it when the teacher explains their meaning.

Do you like to read Chinese books?

No. Mainly because I don't know most of the words. It's hard to understand.

Do you like to talk to people in Chinese?

No. I don't know what to say. We never learned how to start a conversation. I also don't know many words.

If we learn how to have a conversation in Chinese, would you like to talk to people in Chinese?

Maybe.

Are you glad that you don't have to go to Chinese school when we start homeschooling?

Yeah. I am always glad when the Chinese school is not in session anyway.

How do you feel about this homeschooling?

I feel it will be better. I will be able to understand more when the instruction is in English. I will be more comfortable in saying what I don't understand.