Comments on: We need bilingual schools http://www.phdinparenting.com/2008/07/06/we-need-bilingual-schools/ ...exploring the art and science of parenting Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:24:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Severine http://www.phdinparenting.com/2008/07/06/we-need-bilingual-schools/#comment-43282 Severine Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:37:44 +0000 http://phdinparenting.wordpress.com/?p=55#comment-43282 Totally agree with you!!! I live in Quebec now and since I'm french my kids have to go to school in french. I went to school partly in bilingual system in Belgium and am fluent in both and also have an easy time learning other languages. I think it would open the minds of a lot of kids and would enrich us as a Nation!!! Go explain that to Harper though.... ugh! Totally agree with you!!! I live in Quebec now and since I’m french my kids have to go to school in french. I went to school partly in bilingual system in Belgium and am fluent in both and also have an easy time learning other languages. I think it would open the minds of a lot of kids and would enrich us as a Nation!!! Go explain that to Harper though…. ugh!

]]> By: Chantal http://www.phdinparenting.com/2008/07/06/we-need-bilingual-schools/#comment-9375 Chantal Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:40:33 +0000 http://phdinparenting.wordpress.com/?p=55#comment-9375 I want to start by saying I agree with you. I think that all children should have the opportunity to access bilingual education regardless of the language situation at home. But again it is much easier as a philosophy than it is in practice. I have my son in french immersion. He is not an A student. He has struggled over the years and improved steadily. But I firmly believe that if I was not fluently french (full french education all my life) I would not have been able to keep him in immersion. At the moment EFI is the domain of "smart" kids and tenacious parents. If your child is struggling there is little to no help for them. Especially since there may be no help at home. And I think parents can often be the biggest help their children get. There are supposedly changes afoot. The OCDSB is putting in place similar help that is offered in the English stream. And then like you say, there are the preconceptions. Parents who feel that if their children are learning in more than one language that their learning will suffer. I know this is not true (for most children) but many parents (and some teachers) feel this way. BTW Canada may be an officially Bilingual country but schooling is the domain of the provinces. The only bilingual province is New Brunswick and I have to admit that the few people I have met from NB are bilingual. I wonder what they do? I want to start by saying I agree with you. I think that all children should have the opportunity to access bilingual education regardless of the language situation at home. But again it is much easier as a philosophy than it is in practice.

I have my son in french immersion. He is not an A student. He has struggled over the years and improved steadily. But I firmly believe that if I was not fluently french (full french education all my life) I would not have been able to keep him in immersion. At the moment EFI is the domain of “smart” kids and tenacious parents. If your child is struggling there is little to no help for them. Especially since there may be no help at home. And I think parents can often be the biggest help their children get. There are supposedly changes afoot. The OCDSB is putting in place similar help that is offered in the English stream.

And then like you say, there are the preconceptions. Parents who feel that if their children are learning in more than one language that their learning will suffer. I know this is not true (for most children) but many parents (and some teachers) feel this way.

BTW Canada may be an officially Bilingual country but schooling is the domain of the provinces. The only bilingual province is New Brunswick and I have to admit that the few people I have met from NB are bilingual. I wonder what they do?

]]> By: lynedesroberts http://www.phdinparenting.com/2008/07/06/we-need-bilingual-schools/#comment-141 lynedesroberts Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:03:13 +0000 http://phdinparenting.wordpress.com/?p=55#comment-141 Let me guess... you live in Ottawa don't you? I agree with you 100%! Why? Because I have my own business in FSL Program design and training and my client is The Public Service of Canada... Rings a bell? If both "official" languages were learned in school (not 45 minutes per week or even per day dedicated to learn either French or English), it would certainly solve the problem of the future generations seeking jobs in the government. Immersion programs do work to certain extent... but they their flaws: as you mentioned, kids have no one to practice with (they speak their mother tongue at recess, right?). @UK Student: Canada is (like it or not) officially a bilingual country and people would be more than pleased to see their children get the second language skills at an early age... I see too many adults struggling to learn and regretting not having been able to learn earlier... Et... PhDinParenting... ne déprime pas, continue de pratiquer ton français lorsque l'occasion se présente. If you're indeed in Ottawa, go to my website (by clicking on my name, you should be brought there) and click on the Resources page... it will give you some tips and ideas (movies, DVDs, cultural events, books, software, theater, etc.)... and I update everything at least once a week... Let me guess… you live in Ottawa don’t you? I agree with you 100%! Why? Because I have my own business in FSL Program design and training and my client is The Public Service of Canada… Rings a bell?

If both “official” languages were learned in school (not 45 minutes per week or even per day dedicated to learn either French or English), it would certainly solve the problem of the future generations seeking jobs in the government. Immersion programs do work to certain extent… but they their flaws: as you mentioned, kids have no one to practice with (they speak their mother tongue at recess, right?).

@UK Student: Canada is (like it or not) officially a bilingual country and people would be more than pleased to see their children get the second language skills at an early age… I see too many adults struggling to learn and regretting not having been able to learn earlier…

Et… PhDinParenting… ne déprime pas, continue de pratiquer ton français lorsque l’occasion se présente. If you’re indeed in Ottawa, go to my website (by clicking on my name, you should be brought there) and click on the Resources page… it will give you some tips and ideas (movies, DVDs, cultural events, books, software, theater, etc.)… and I update everything at least once a week…

]]> By: phdinparenting http://www.phdinparenting.com/2008/07/06/we-need-bilingual-schools/#comment-138 phdinparenting Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:27:11 +0000 http://phdinparenting.wordpress.com/?p=55#comment-138 UK student - I agree that there are perhaps ignorant people that would say "we don't want it", but I don't see how it would be a waste of money or why there wouldn't be enough resources. In fact, I think it would be less expensive in the long run. Currently, each community here runs separate English and French schools. In some cases, communities have had to close their schools and ship children to a neighbouring community because there aren't enough children to fill a school. If we merged the English and French school systems, then those issues would go away and children would be able to go to a school in their own neighbourhood and learn to interact in both languages with the people that live on their street. UK student – I agree that there are perhaps ignorant people that would say “we don’t want it”, but I don’t see how it would be a waste of money or why there wouldn’t be enough resources. In fact, I think it would be less expensive in the long run.

Currently, each community here runs separate English and French schools. In some cases, communities have had to close their schools and ship children to a neighbouring community because there aren’t enough children to fill a school. If we merged the English and French school systems, then those issues would go away and children would be able to go to a school in their own neighbourhood and learn to interact in both languages with the people that live on their street.

]]> By: Mike Thorn http://www.phdinparenting.com/2008/07/06/we-need-bilingual-schools/#comment-140 Mike Thorn Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:27:22 +0000 http://phdinparenting.wordpress.com/?p=55#comment-140 A great site for ESL students is AIDtoCHILDREN.com. AIDtoCHILDREN.com is a dual-purpose site for building an English vocabulary and raising money for under privileged children in the most impoverished places around the world. Check it out at http://www.aidtochildren.com A great site for ESL students is AIDtoCHILDREN.com.

AIDtoCHILDREN.com is a dual-purpose site for building an English
vocabulary and raising money for under privileged children in the most
impoverished places around the world.

Check it out at http://www.aidtochildren.com

]]> By: uk student http://www.phdinparenting.com/2008/07/06/we-need-bilingual-schools/#comment-139 uk student Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:45:01 +0000 http://phdinparenting.wordpress.com/?p=55#comment-139 I don't see people going for that. To influence the public at large you need to hammer home the benefits and I fear that with your proposal, there would be many claims of, "waste of money", "don't have the resources", or simply, "we don't want it". Segregation is a real problem. But I think that if the major <a href="http://www.adviceforyou.org.uk/blog/studying-foreign-languages/10-good-reasons-to-learn-a-foreign-language/" rel="nofollow">benefits of learning a second language</a> - such as improving employability, developing life skills and better understanding of your own culture for example - and efforts made to educate the general public, then there may be better chance. I don’t see people going for that. To influence the public at large you need to hammer home the benefits and I fear that with your proposal, there would be many claims of, “waste of money”, “don’t have the resources”, or simply, “we don’t want it”. Segregation is a real problem. But I think that if the major benefits of learning a second language – such as improving employability, developing life skills and better understanding of your own culture for example – and efforts made to educate the general public, then there may be better chance.

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