Beijing Sounds — 北京的声儿

My daughter adores her art class. What’s not to love? Crayons, paints, bits of colored paper, bows and ribbons, stickers, playdough, glue – everything a five-year-old could love as long as you’re not a five-year-old like I was, who thought art class was like a bow tie for your birthday: not just a phenomenal waste of time but a lost opportunity.Playdough, for example

It’s not just the materials — her instructor is an inspiring character too. Teacher Jing 竟老师 [Jǐng lǎoshī] is strict but forgiving, granting freedom with boundaries and direction. There’s no whole language-like let’s-learn-art-naturally philosophy here. 竟老师 teaches technique and you’re here to learn technique, not to run amok.

Here she is, giving some end-of-class instructions. Beijing-R (儿化音 érhuàyīn) fans can hear a full R on display in her speech: wénr and huàr and ménr instead of wén and huà and mén.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

nǐ kàn zhèige xiǎo péngyǒu huàde tèbié hǎo, a
你看这个小朋友画得特别好啊
[pointing to a picture] You see this little friend [i.e. child or kid] drew really well, right?

yǒu cūde huā wénr, yǒu xìde huā wénr
有粗的花纹儿，有细的花纹儿。
There are thick-lined designs and thin-lined designs.

dōu kàn hǎole a. dì èr ge gāi gànmǎ le huī jiā.
都看好了啊。第二个该干嘛了回家。[see first comment for different opinion on transcript]
We’ve looked at everything. The second (next) thing to do is go home.

suǒyǐ xià lǐbài, bǎ zhèi zhāng zuò yè dài huí lai a.
所以下礼拜， 把这张作业带回来啊
So next week, bring back this page of homework.

wǒ měicì dōu gēn xiǎo péngyǒu yǒu yàoqiú.
我每次都跟小朋友有要求。
Every time I ask little friends to do this.

Dànshì měicì xiǎo péngyǒu dōu zhème shuō:
但是每次小朋友都这么说:
But every time little friends all say something like:

shuō wǒ mā méi gěi wǒ dài nèi huàr. Wǒ bà méi gěi wǒ jiǎng nèi huàr.
说我妈没给我带那画儿。我爸没给我装那画儿。
[they] say “My mom didn’t bring my drawings, my dad didn’t pack that drawing for me.”

Zhèi gēn nǐ mā nǐ bà méi guānxi.
这跟你妈你爸没关系。
This doesn’t have anything to do with your mom and dad.

Wǒ gàosu nǐmen měicì yào dài huàr.
我告诉你们每次要带画儿
I’m telling you you have to bring your drawings every time.

Nǐ yào yǒu zérènxīn, yào jìzhu zhèi shì. Bùnéng bǎ zhèi shì quán jiāo gěi nǐ mā nǐ bà.
你要有责任心，要记住这事。不能把这事全交给你妈你爸。
You have to have a sense of responsibility — have to remember these things. You can’t put everything on your mom and dad.

NǏ méi dài — wǒ mā méi gěi wǒ dài, wǒ bà méi gěi wǒ dài — ā, zhèi dōu búduì, ā
你没带 — 我妈没给我带，我爸没给我带。这都不对啊。
YOU didn’t bring it — “my mom didn’t bring it for me, my dad didn’t bring it for me” these are all wrong, OK?

méicì chū ménr jiǎnchá zhèige dōngxi dàile méiyǒu
每次出门儿检查这个东西带了没有。
Every time you’re walking out the door, check to see if you brought your things.

lǎoshī dōu duì nǐmen jiǎng yāoqiúle yào dài nèige dài nèige
老师都对你们讲要求了要带那个带那个
I’ve told you all what you’re supposed to bring

bié gēn bàba māma jiǎng. Jìzhu ā, ā.
别跟爸爸妈妈讲。记住啊，阿。
Don’t talk about your mom and dad. Remember, OK?

Synopsis? 竟老师 gives us
1. Judgment, not namby-pamby ego stroking: This little friend is good; this one is not so good
2. Personal responsibility: It’s not your mom and dad’s job, it’s yours
I think I like her too.