Commentary: I failed Higher Mother Tongue, but I’ll encourage my children to take it up

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In: South-East Asia

HIGHER CHINESE JOURNEY MY COMPLICATED HIGHER JOURNEY

Twenty-four centuries ago, I received a recommendation to examine Higher Chinese in secondary school based on my performance on the PSLE. I took the chance with both arms, motivated by the desire to read my favorite Chinese comics that had been translated into Chinese for a wider audience.

I enjoyed it at first, revelling in the many options for social absorption. &nbsp,

The first time I’d been in a place where Mandarin was the main mode of communication, I can recall going on an exchange program in Secondary 2 to Yunnan, China.

I remember handwriting lessons and competitions.

Foreign writing is what I recall being taught. Some verses had a lyrical quality that I did n’t know how to memorize them.

Even trying hard to read the entire text on my own, I can recall being taught fragments of Chinese legends like Romance Of The Three Realms and Journey Of The Red Chamber. &nbsp,

But, Secondary 3’s pressure to perform actually increased. My results started slipping no matter what I did – private tuition, more sessions with school faculty, memorising expanses of Chinese vocabulary.

I struggled with my test. Finally, I reached rock bottom with a clear F9 for Higher Family Mouth at the O-Levels.

Nowadays, I still carry some of the stress of failing but abjectly. I stutter when I attempt to speak to my children’s Chinese teachers, and I have n’t dared pick up a Chinese book since I left the language behind in junior college.

WHY HIGHER CHINESE, INSTEAD OF JUST Taiwanese?

I had no idea how beautiful Chinese was until recently when I started learning it along with my kids, who frequently had pre-school sheets explaining the causes of Chinese phrases in cartoons or drawings. &nbsp,

Cheng yu are a personal favorite these days because they frequently derive their expressions from traditional or historical roots. For example, I’d first taught 饮水思源 (yin psychology si yuan ) years ago, but coming across its significance as an adult –” when you drink water, consider the source” – made me appreciate anew how vivid it truly is.

Exploring these phrases with my children frequently prompts natural discussions about the values that matter to us and make us feel connected to our cultural identity and history.