Owens CC offering "Fun With Panda" class
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TOLEDO, OH -- Owens Community College is offering a class in Chinese called "Fun with Panda." The class is for kids ages four to 12.
One billion people in the world speak Mandarin Chinese. It's the most widely spoken language. Which is why a lot of school districts are starting to offer it as a course.
The "Fun with Panda" class targets young kids because many believe it's easier to learn a second language at a younger age.
The class teaches basic concepts like numbers and how to say hello and goodbye.
Lea Skotynsky has two sons in the class. She says, "they left last week inspired, they were giggling, laughing, and they were practicing in the car, practicing at home, so they're into it."
One of the local school districts offering Chinese is Springfield Township. The superintendent, Dr. Cynthia Beekley says, "we're preparing kids for a world, 10 or 15 years from now, so we have to be thinking about what that world's going to be like."
Many of the parents and instructors say that world will be even more globalized, making it increasingly important to be bilingual.
Owens offers the option of bringing "Fun with Panda" to you. If you can get a group of 10 kids together, they will send an instructor to the place of your choice to teach the class.
