But a teacher at Potomac Elementary said that Hanyu Pinyin might be easier to learn.
"Hanyu Pinyin is easier for a non-Chinese native speaker," said Chen Li-ling (陳莉玲), a Taiwanese Mandarin teacher at the Potomac Elementary School. "However, we must say, people who learn the National Phonetic Symbols can easily pronounce Mandarin more precisely."
She said that children can sometimes confuse Hanyu Pinyin with English pronunciation. "Take the education system in Singapore for example," she said. "They teach their children in English for the first year in elementary school. Then, they begin to introduce Hanyu Pinyin to students the second year so students won't be confused."
The Chinese government has even weighed in on the use of Hanyu Pinyin at the school. Beijing sent representatives to Potomac to persuade school officials to continue to use Hanyu Pinyin and to use simplified Chinese characters. Last year, its Department of Education invited parents and students from the program to visit China.
A parent at the school, who identified herself as Ms. Sorensen, said the political implications of the teaching materials chosen are of little concern to her. She has twin boys and adopted two children from China.
"I just want my kids to learn a foreign language when they are still young," she said. "Chinese is a perfect choice."
Translated by Jimmy Chuang
RSS