Released 2/18/2005

Visitors Bring China to Class 3

Two guests recently joined Class 3 to enhance the girls' study of China, which, along with investigations into Mexico and Kenya, comprises its study of world cultures and communities. One was Mr. Lee, grandfather of a Class 3 student, who discussed his upbringing in China. The other was Ms. Hui, a class member's Mandarin teacher, who conducted a long and varied presentation on February 18.

Ms. Hui, who grew up in Beijing, devoted a great deal of her time with the class to explaining the traditions of the Lunar New Year that is celebrated in the Chinese culture. She explained how the firecrackers and drumming that enliven Chinese New Year parades stem from an ancient legend that describes how a village scared away a monster by using these loud noisemakers. She told the girls that the New Year is a time for new clothes, and recalled the joy she felt as a girl in China when her new dresses and shoes arrived with the New Year's celebrations. Ms. Hui also shared remembrances of the massive New Year's Eve dinners that her family enjoyed when she was young, including 6 to 8 cold dishes, 10 hot dishes, soup and dessert. "You waited for a whole year to get that meal!" she said.

While explaining Chinese traditions, Ms. Hui imparted some key Mandarin words to go with them. The Class 3 students had already learned from Ms. Aldige and Ms. Cappeto how to say things such as hello (ni hao), please (qing), and thank you (xie xie), and Ms. Hui added grandpa (ye ye), grandma (nai nai), and Happy New Year (xin nian hao) to their vocabulary. Students even got a chance to use their new words in class, culminating in a song to wish their teachers a joyous New Year.