It’s a normal day in kindergarten at Starr King Elementary in San Francisco. The kids have circle time, identify shapes and colors, practice writing, and sing the “clean up” song. Seven months ago these students entered the classroom for the first time and could not understand a word their teacher was saying. She refused to speak English, sticking only to Mandarin, as frustrating as it was to everyone. But today they are happily learning characters instead of letters, singing Mandarin versions of popular kiddie songs, and watching Chinese videos on rainy days. Starr King’s language-immersion program had a few initial hurdles to overcome. The hope was to start with an even mix of Mandarin and English speakers. Instead the two classes were filled entirely with English speakers. One teacher still needed to be hired when school began. The Chronicle has been visiting with the class regularly since its inception. Most recently it visited with one of four African American students recruited into the program.