Quote:
Originally Posted by Taualumna
What's really sad is the Canadian born Grade 2 kid who is taking English as a Second Language (ESL) in school. There's no mention on whether he spent some time in the old country or not, but if he didn't, it really shows how schools have changed in the past 25-30 years (I was one of those kids. I started kindergarten in the mid-80s only knowing a few words - not enough to even ask if I can go to the bathroom. But I caught up fast...by Halloween, I was just like everyone else). Really, a kid in Grade 2 has been in school for over two years, including kindergarten. Kid should NOT be in ESL. You might say that the family may live in a neighbourhood that is predominantly Punjabi-speaking or whatnot, but it doesn't sound like it, since the grandmother says she'd like to be able to speak to her neighbours.
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Tau you were privileged though, and from a school system that actually had funding to have good instructor to student ratios as well as time as resources to help these kids adapt - a problem that is made all the more difficult if the parents have little to no command of English.
My youngest brother teaches kindergarten at two different schools with high populations of new immigrants, and I know how much he struggles with trying to help the kids until they are old enough to enter ESL (they usually don't enter until the 2nd or 3rd grade now). On top of that the federal cutbacks to ESL eduction programmes to provinces with high populations of new immigrants, as well as the deregulation of education ESL programmes that used to be government run, has only produced a system in which the onus and financial burden is now on the student - basically they get a smattering of ESL classes for a grade or two, then if they want to learn more they gotta fork over cash to go to one of the many specialized schools now... and adults have to basically pay to learn as well.
With no more free government run language and culture programs the only options to learn English is to go to one of the private schools or colleges that charge a fair amount for - with this monetary "hurdle" of sorts no in place many immigrants forgo learning all but the most basic of English skills. However it's perversely better in Quebec, with their draconian "Language Laws" the Provincial and Municipal governments still run many basic and intermediate language programmes.
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