How's Your Mandarin?

I saw on the news that Panama was going to start teaching Mandarin in their schools. Because of China's increasing economic importance they apparently felt it would give them and advantage. They are probably right.

One of the things that frustrates me in the US is the low view a lot of people have of higher education. It seems like a high percentage of people don't think it is that important or at least a waste of time. (I'll avoid my redneck rant for now.)

On the other hand, there is something about our culture that gives us the ability to use education creatively. I remember watching a television program on education around the world and they were comparing the US educational system with Japan's. They were interviewing a Japanese education expert who talked glowingly of what they had accomplished but then he added that they were still missing something they couldn't quite grasp. In spite of higher scores they still weren't winning Nobel Prizes whereas the US wins far more than their share.

I expect it to change though. I read somewhere that China will have more PhDs than the US in just a few years. They have an ambitious space program to give them focus. In short, they are laying a foundation to dominate the world in science and technology. Add to that the same going thing is going on in India and the shear numbers make it inevitable.

So how is your Mandarin? It might not be important for me but that might not be true for my kids. Their world will be very different.