babble home
rabble.ca - news for the rest of us
today's active topics


Post New Topic  Post A Reply
FAQ | Forum Home
  next oldest topic   next newest topic
» babble   » from far and wide   » nfld, labrador, pei, ns, nb   » "New Brunswick takes a step backward"

Email this thread to someone!    
Author Topic: "New Brunswick takes a step backward"
toddsschneider
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 6280

posted 01 April 2008 08:48 AM      Profile for toddsschneider     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
http://tinyurl.com/2um4x5

quote:
The Liberal government of New Brunswick has puzzled and angered almost everyone - parents, teachers and language experts - by insisting on abolishing early French-language-immersion classes for anglophone pupils. The government says early immersion, currently an option for anglophone pupils starting in Grade 1, is not producing fluently bilingual graduates at the end of Grade 12.

It claims the $19 million it devotes to French-language immersion in early English education should be spent instead on dragging New Brunswick out of its current worst-in-Canada ranks in reading and mathematics.

Neither contention is persuasive, or even relevant. If the sole criterion for educational spending were the emergence 12 years along of perfectly-formed mathematicians, historians, essay-writers and French speakers, the temptation would be to shut down the school system altogether. No school system can guarantee such results ...



From: Montreal, Canada | Registered: Jun 2004  |  IP: Logged
laine lowe
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 13668

posted 01 April 2008 10:22 AM      Profile for laine lowe     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
This is a horrible step backwards. Who are they kidding. This is a budget cut period.
From: north of 50 | Registered: Dec 2006  |  IP: Logged
Ken Burch
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8346

posted 03 April 2008 03:00 PM      Profile for Ken Burch     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
This gives the NB NDP a HUGE opportunity to mobilize new support and to grow out of its traditional small base.

They have to get out in front now and lead the fight against this. This proposal proves that the NB Liberals never really gave a damn about francophones and is no longer worthy of their support.


From: A seedy truckstop on the Information Superhighway | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
V. Jara
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 9193

posted 04 April 2008 01:52 AM      Profile for V. Jara     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
When is Layton's next visit to New Brunswick? The Federal party really needs to help them gain some visibility/organization on this issue.
From: - | Registered: May 2005  |  IP: Logged
Yibpl
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 14791

posted 05 April 2008 03:31 PM      Profile for Yibpl     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Ken Burch:
...This proposal proves that the NB Liberals never really gave a damn about francophones and is no longer worthy of their support.

???
Francophones do not send their children to french immersion, Anglos do.

Crash course on NB voting patterns:
Anglos split their vote 60 - 40 between the PCs and Liberals, francophones (who are a minority yet still get about 1/3 of the seats in the legislature) tend to vote in a block. Both the Liberals and PCs cater to the french because whoever wins them picks up nearly all of their seats and worse case scenario still picks up 40% or so of the anglo ridings and forms a majority government.

Francophones at best are apathetic about french immersion and at worst resent it because they fear it could produce bilingual anglophones who could conceivable compete for plumb governemnt jobs with their children.

Anglos tend to send their children to french immersion hoping to make them eligible for government jobs. But they are increasingly dubious about french immersion as more and more government positions are designated not just bilingual essential but also require "an understanding of french language and CULTURE", code for English need not apply.

I am afraid this issue will not be much of a hay maker for the NDP, or anyone else for that matter.


From: Urban Alberta, wishing I was in Kananaskis | Registered: Dec 2007  |  IP: Logged
Yibpl
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 14791

posted 05 April 2008 09:33 PM      Profile for Yibpl     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
[deleting double-post/self-quote/Freudian slip]

[ 06 April 2008: Message edited by: Yibpl ]


From: Urban Alberta, wishing I was in Kananaskis | Registered: Dec 2007  |  IP: Logged
Ken Burch
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8346

posted 05 April 2008 10:36 PM      Profile for Ken Burch     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
(Edited to remove any reference to mysterious and now deleted Freudian self-quote by previous poster.)
[ 05 April 2008: Message edited by: Ken Burch ]

[ 06 April 2008: Message edited by: Ken Burch ]


From: A seedy truckstop on the Information Superhighway | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
Guêpe
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 4757

posted 10 April 2008 10:53 AM      Profile for Guêpe   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Yibpl:
???Francophones at best are apathetic about french immersion and at worst resent it because they fear it could produce bilingual anglophones who could conceivable compete for plumb governemnt jobs with their children.

Perhaps...but all the NewBrunswickers in Ottawa I know in Ottawa, be they English, Acadian or Brayon are up in arms over this...but they are in Ontario and not in NB...


From: Ottawa | Registered: Dec 2003  |  IP: Logged
Caissa
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 12752

posted 10 April 2008 11:04 AM      Profile for Caissa     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
There is a hullabaloo about this in NB as well. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. Class seems to play an element in this as well.
From: Saint John | Registered: Jun 2006  |  IP: Logged
toddsschneider
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 6280

posted 22 April 2008 04:52 AM      Profile for toddsschneider     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
"Citizen's group formed over FSL decision"

http://tinyurl.com/4lxvmz

quote:
Spurred by concern over significant changes in public education, a group of New Brunswickers has formed Citizens for Educational Choice.

They're requesting, through the Right to Information Act, documentation about the province's decision last month to implement a French second language model, mandatory for all elementary school students, that eliminates the choice of early French immersion.

The grassroots volunteer group, based in Fredericton, consists not only of parents, teachers, students and academics, but grandparents, business leaders, retirees, civil servants and other taxpayers including anglophones and francophones ...



From: Montreal, Canada | Registered: Jun 2004  |  IP: Logged
toddsschneider
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 6280

posted 12 June 2008 09:26 AM      Profile for toddsschneider     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
"N.B. to review decision to end early French immersion"

http://tinyurl.com/6gq6cz

quote:
SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- A New Brunswick court has decided to allow a judicial review of the province's controversial decision to end early French immersion.

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Hugh McClellan made the announcement Wednesday in an oral judgment.

On May 14, two New Brunswick parents filed affidavits with the court asking for a review of the education minister's decision to end early French immersion ...



From: Montreal, Canada | Registered: Jun 2004  |  IP: Logged
Caissa
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 12752

posted 12 June 2008 09:33 AM      Profile for Caissa     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I work with the spouse of one of the successful applicants and I used to be the roommate of the Minister of Education.

The Minister's response ie. six weeks of consultation and a decision by early August creates some interesting HR problems. Schools have been making staffing decisions for next year based on the new system. They now need to turn around and hire based on the old system. If the Minister in early August decides to implement his original decision or a third model, schools will have a four week window to readjust their hiring once more. Our son's schools piloted the intensive core French this year and our eldest son is in it. It's not clear whether they will pilot it once again next year in addition to hiring someine now to teach gr1-4 core French.

The Minister is probably best off retaining the status quo for 2008-9 and implementing any changes to the system in September 2009.


From: Saint John | Registered: Jun 2006  |  IP: Logged

All times are Pacific Time  

Post New Topic  Post A Reply Close Topic    Move Topic    Delete Topic next oldest topic   next newest topic
Hop To:

Contact Us | rabble.ca | Policy Statement

Copyright 2001-2008 rabble.ca