A Letter from our Editor
Dear new and old AffNo readers,
Welcome to the first issue of the 2019-2020 school year! I’m finally a senior, and as a result, I’ve been reflecting on my time here at Hawken. I started school here in 1st grade, so I’m just a year away from garnering the status of a “lifer,” but it’s clear to me that I’ve grown up. For a large portion of my childhood, I was the only full Asian in my grade. Looking around now, I see Asians shuffling through the Humanities Hallway or impatiently waiting in line for tater tots at the White House—a much different atmosphere from my Lower School experience. Although high school in general has a larger and more diverse student body, I’m impressed by the initiatives Hawken has taken to make the Upper School more inviting and welcoming for students of color.
Likewise, cultural exchange is one of the most enriching types of education, and learning a language not only opens up a realm of knowledge, alternative thought, and history, but it also should help foster a more open-minded and tolerant community by learning about differences. Yet, I’m concerned about the lack of student interest in the Chinese language program at schools all over Ohio. Schools started implementing Chinese as a language, and many students perhaps took it because their parents viewed it as a beneficial skill for future business networking. Nowadays, speaking Chinese isn’t necessary for business occupations because those in the industry in China simply learn English as it is a universal language. Less and less students are interested in taking the language. Is it because the language itself is too difficult and tedious to learn? Because the Chinese programs compared to Spanish or French are simply not as strong and as well funded? Was Chinese simply a fad? While I understand that languages serve as beneficial professional skills, perhaps we should emphasize the benefits of cultural exchange instead. Though there are multiple technical reasons for why there is no China travel intensive, couldn’t we try harder to make it happen if we really valued the program?
Best,
Carolyn Tung