如果你踏进印第安纳州哈蒙德学区克拉克中学的中文教室，你就会发现每节课学生们来到教室都会很尊敬地向老师鞠躬问好。
---“上课！”
---“起立！”
---“同学们好！”
---“老师好！”
---“请坐！”
---“谢谢！”
这是刘新华老师来美任教的第三年。她所任教的克拉克中学位于印地安那州哈蒙德学区。学区从2011年开始申请汉办大理会的中文项目，目前已有五位汉语教师志愿者。刘老师2008年毕业于湖南科技大学，本科专业为英语教育，硕士专业为中国古代文学。来美国之前在海南软件职业技术学院教授了五年大学英语。
（刘新华老师近照。）
刘老师说学校里的同事们都很热心，就像一个大家庭。大家互相帮助互相学习，分享彼此的文化、教学以及和生活。
（跟学校德语班的学生进行乒乓球联谊赛。）
学生们热爱中国文化。他们非常庆幸能有机会学习中文，除了努力学习汉语之外，在刘老师的带领下，他们积极宣传中国文化、庆祝中国节日、去中国城体验中国文化，也经常参与社区各种慈善活动、利用课余时间去普渡大学教授孩子们使用筷子、去教堂提供帮助、给身边的人带来中国食物。
（庆祝中国国庆节，学习中国国情，制作中国国旗。）
（玩游戏，学国名。）
（我为中文教室写对联：好好学习，天天向上。）
（做饺子，过春节。）
（做灯笼，猜灯谜，抽奖品，闹元宵。）
（芝加哥中国城之旅。）
在美国这三年，刘老师所在的中文项目取得了成功。学生们学习了很多中国歌曲，学会了使用中文打字，使用QQ和微信，还制作了全中文的微电影。
（视频1：钟美琪的生日派对）
大家对中文课的评价都很高。刘老师被学区评估为“高效能教师”，今年开始有了学区的第一届AP课和AP学生。她的学生米杰在进入印第安纳大学后，第一个学期结束就获得了大四去中国学习的奖学金。学生们都很喜欢中文课。
（视频2：克拉克中学学生和老师对于中文课的感受与评价。https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0Fz7TVPj64）
2016年4月底，全美中文大会在芝加哥召开。刘新华老师与所在学区的领导一起在大会上做了一次题为“Support Chinese Guest Teachers to Build a Chinese Program”的报告，取得了很好的反响。会上刘老师分享了自己在美国的经历，以及怎样让中文项目取得成功。
2016年5月23日哈蒙德市的The Times报纸的头版头条对于刘老师的中文课进行了报导。
（刘老师在2016年全美中文大会上做报告。）
（刘老师和学生以及他们的word wall。）
Hammond Clark students learn to speak Chinese, appreciate the culture
（Clark Chinese teacher Xinhua Liu watches as students use chopsticks to pick up beans.）
If you walk into Xinhua Liu's classroom each morning at Clark Middle/High School, the students are standing respectfully as they greet their teacher.
Shàngkè! Qǐlì! Tóngxuémen hǎo! Lǎoshīhǎo! Qǐng zuò! Xièxiè!
Essentially that means: Class begins! Stand up! Hello my students! Hello Miss Liu! Please sit down! Thank you!
This is the third year that Liu has taught Chinese at Clark in the School City of Hammond. Liu is one of five Chinese teachers in Hammond.
The College Board — in collaboration with Hanban/Confucius Institutes Headquarters — launched the K-12-focused Confucius Institutes and Classrooms program to support the development of K-12 Chinese language and cultural education in the U.S. The program provides funding, resources and guidance to participating institutions.
Many of the Clark students say Chinese is difficult, but Liu makes it easier by using games to help them understand the culture and language.
Freshman Faith Johnson said she enjoys taking Chinese because she and her classmates get a chance to learn new things and do a variety of activities.
"I plan to take the next level of Chinese next fall," Johnson said. "There are so many little details to learning how to write in Chinese. There are many different strokes. It's difficult, but it's still fun to do. Ms. Liu also plays a lot of games and I've learned a lot about Chinese culture. We did some research on older leaders in China like Confucius."
Exchanging ideas
Liu said she enjoys sharing her language and culture with American students.
Liu went to Hunan University in 2000 at age 18 and majored in English. She earned her master's degree in Chinese eight years later; she began learning English in middle school.
"Now in China, even the kindergarten level has to take English," she said. "We were not as lucky as the students at Clark, we didn't have an English native speaker to teach us English. I taught English in a college for five years before I came to the U.S.A."
Liu said her colleagues at Clark are like family and have helped her tremendously.
"With their support, we have made a great environment for the students to learn Chinese," Liu said. "I love the students’ smile when they come into my class. They work very hard; they're working to learn new things and using what they’ve learned in daily life.
"They love the Chinese culture. They've done a very good job in our school-wide activities," Liu said. "We have been involved in community. We donated cans for a food drive, went to fundraising activities, taught children how to use chopsticks in a program at Purdue Calumet, went to a church to help people, and have brought Chinese food and Chinese culture to students, teachers and our neighborhood."
Liu and the students visited Chinatown in Chicago and the students shopped, communicating in Chinese.
"My former student, Rice Shawn, who graduated last summer and attends Indiana University now, earned a scholarship to study in China in his senior year," Liu said. "This year we have an Advanced Placement Chinese class for the first time. The feedback from Hanban and College Board makes me proud."
Different attitudes
Liu said her American students are different from her former Chinese students in that they are more outspoken.
"The attitude is totally different from Chinese students," she said. "In China, the students sit and are silent the whole day. Here the students speak. They give you their ideas and opinions and they are very creative."
Late last month, Liu accompanied Hammond Assistant Superintendent Theresa Mayerik to the 2016 National Chinese Language Conference in Chicago.
Liu said they gave a presentation titled, “Support Chinese Guest Teachers to Build a Chinese Program,” adding that it was well received.
Mayerik said she was excited to showcase the school district on a national level, and its successful Chinese language program.
Freshman Jacob Meier said he is trying to become more fluent in Chinese. "I'd love to go over there someday and share my culture with them as my teacher has shared her culture with us," he said.
As the bell rang and the students prepared to leave for their next class, they stood and said:
Xiàkè! Qǐlì! Tóngxuémen zàijiàn! Lǎoshīzàijiàn!
Essentially that means: Class is dismissing! Stand up! See you my students! See you Miss Liu!
More information or pictures, please see the "Clark Chinese Class" facebook page link.https://www.facebook.com/Clark-Chinese-Class-598690006910430/
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