"Learn French with the rich, famous....."

Maybe we need this?

Ha ha!

Nice one, Snert.

To further expand on what I was saying earlier ...

The/our communications ''DNA '' carries the language codes and history of our way of thinking..,

Indeed the failure that is abundantly clear is the lack of perspective and understanding of the deep deep layer of consciousness that is carried by the use we've made - collectively speaking- of the language tools that have been available to us...,

The - what I call HOUSE OF CANADA..- and it's respective '' mind '' and languages that helped shape that collective way of thinking..., indeed that - je ne sais quoi - way of being and thinking , that has been one of the hallmarks of our being '' CANADIAN'', on the world stage...,

This DNA communications code , if you will, along with a full understanding on how we've come to be who we are today..,
along also, with a deeper grasp of what it is that motivates our wanting to remain.., true to not only our past , but dealing also with our ever present transformations and changes .. which at times overwhelms us all,

Including the communications influences from outside forces that impact in our ability or not , of truly understanding who we are in the scheme of things.., in this world ...,

Indeed , the ability to recognise and not only respect our communications evolutionary steps .., within the gradual transformative nature of our national/ collective psyche itself..,

These related above and many more reasons point to the importance of our giving serious thought to learning one of the earliest of languages that was to determine our identity*.., and furthermore was to open the need for a larger frame of reference.., when it comes to adopting and adapting.. as per the IMMIGRATION that followed ., which indeed was to leave an imprint on our emerging.. 21st Century MIND OF CANADA..*

That's why we cannot fail , in passing on not only to our children, but to all future immigration that will come to our land.., the importance of that LANGUAGE..
( FRENCH)..

One of the pillars of our communications identity..

Village.,

there you have it

"However, Canada needs something, ... French (maybe Mandarin or Hindi is ok?) to make itself different from the big elephant that the US is."

When I first came to this country so many years ago it isn't funny, it was repeatedly stressed to me, that what made Canada different was that it was not the melting pot the US was, that there was no high-handed attempt at forging a single-minded uni-directional monolith out of the people in this country. Now this wasn't and isn't completely true. Cases in point: the sojourn of the dukhobor and native children some years back. But we could work on making it truer.

This morning's Global effort (you know, that company that had the effrontery of calling their web site canada.com), these people posted an article about being young and muslim in Canada. Now I know muslim is not an ethnicity, but it almost works that way, since it is the self-characteristic used by the adherents rather than any national or ethnic affiliation. However, these young people had roots in decidedly different parts of the world. What the article stressed was that these people could listen to hip-hop and throw frisbee 'just like everybody else, see?', but when it came to the meat of the matter, there was a cautonary, that going to a drinking party and sitting next to people doing their thing (drinking) was 'almost like endorsing it'.

Clearly, there is a lack of understanding of what diversity really means. It means that the fellow next to you can do his own thing, vastly differernt from your thing, and you simply observe, learn if interested, and go on as if nothing has happened, maybe if you know him well enough and want to know more, you can have a discourse. Muslims might for instance have learned if they asked, that drinking in a party is not about being drunk. If it works out that way in practice, it is because the cultural roots of the drinking party, or sumbel as it was known in 'the olden times', have been undercut by many centuries of Chrisitanity, a foreign religion just like Islam, having been superimposed on them. It actaully rated as a religious act, and the religious script which it ties with, the Havamal, contains a downright tiresom number of warnings about how everything in life will go wrong if you overdo the drinking part. I might be snide enough to mention that it is a religious heritage, which did not include or require decapitation of anyone in order to be saved, and it is, incidentally, an integral part of our Anglo-saxon heritage, which is a good deal richer than believed by those who only know Liverpool pragmatism from the corry.

and another (couple of) things...

The muslims mention that people stare when they fall to their knees in the public square and pray. Conversely, I have more than half a dozen times done the dagger-in ground ceremony (sarmatian-Norse), in a little piece of greenery near my workplace, and no one has ever stopped, queried, or called security, despite numbers of people being fully aware I was doing something out of the ordinary. I think it is about the way you do it. If you are aware of other people’s staring, I believe, you lose credibility as a serious supplicant, then you get a little more demonstrative, and people notice that, and so it spirals.

I think we need real studying of each others’ peculiarities, we need to take diversity much more seriously, not the superficial crap about everyone buying the same CD’s and enjoying them.

The French heritage as known here is also not very French, or at least it is a slice taken off the top if you will, about the late 1600’s and the 1700’s. It represents an elite in those times, and a good deal of Catholicism, which is pretty international. France now, such as it is, has a heritage including the opponents in Cesar’s ‘De Bello Gallico’, and so on. Did any news media in Canada report the fantastic find in france, of five almost intact carnyxes, part of the country’s Celtic heritage? Does anyone in Quebec treasure this part of the heritage?

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~mharrsch/2004_11_01_romanarch_archive.html

There is so much more to know and learn about each other. Our press could serve that function, but completely abdicate the privilege, not to mention responsibility. Cultural institutions here are choking on the concept of founding nations, a dumb idea, particularly when the Native population of Canada are not included. Ask questions, when there is something someone does or chooses, that you don’t understand. It is one of the most elevating experiences you can have, to ask your greengrocer clerk or the guy behind you in the lineup, or a colleague a ‘cultural’ question, and see their expression change from closed, mistrustful, even fearful, to joyful realization, that you actually give a damn. Try it sometime. Of course only if you really give a damn, faking it doesn’t work.

I don't much agree with many things Jean Chretien stood for, but I remember him for his words when last elected: We have work to do.

I would like to expand on my thinking by looking at one quote ..

And By visiting the meaning as well as the intention of the individual that posted these observations that follows:

''Well, I think you need to talk to your Immigrations Department then, because the bill of goods I was sold did not include having a fifth language crammed down my throat, for which I couldn't see a use.''

And me thinks that the most important part of that observation would be ...,

for which I couldn't see a use.

I can fully understand your not wanting to add a fifth language to your communications mindscape , however , as you put it so well , the immigration department not only failed you , as an immigrant , but more importantly failed CANADA*.., for indeed , your inability to '' see '' and cherish that particular aspect of our COMMUNICATIONS IDENTITY and HERITAGE ..., is indeed a tragedy *...

As I've said earlier in my reflections , the HOUSE and MIND of CANADA ...,as well as the very soil that has nourished so much of not only our collective soul.., but also endured in it's SETTLEMENT role, for all who have chosen to carve out a life ... in this LAND..,is the very foundation we need to build on , for our needing to expand on the reasons for this collective state of mind of ours..

When I write of our '' COMMUNICATIONS IDENTITY '' , I clearly think of ....., the aggregate sum of our- not only language parts - but also think of the WORKS IN PROGRESS that is this culture ..., ( think garden here ) .. along with the seeds and the nutrients and the very land itself.. that has made possible our having reached this moment in time..,

Making us all realise that this LAND... , and all of it's people .., faces many challenges of identity .. (and MEMORY itself.., as in shown in evidence by the statements that people have made on the subject matter of LANGUAGES itself.., )

To speak of a culture emanating from CANADA , is to explore the very meaning of where we are going as a people. It also asks of us to ponder the very meaning of the fact that we have such little grasp of not only our history and it's influence on our IDENTITY*..., ( indeed , one of the challenges that I see for all of us who wish CANADA to not only succeed - being the world experiment that it is- but also wish CANADA to reach a moment of deeper awareness and self assurance as to ..., it's past , present and FUTURE*...itself.., is to become aware of the collective ignorance by the individuals of the collective selves..

All of us , needing a wake up call.As to reaching for a deeper understanding and meaning of what I call THE LAND OF THE MANY CANADA'S..

( continued .... )

There is this negotiating aspect of our collective identity ,

There is this negotiating aspect of our collective identity , that would have us fully realise the lack of depth we have about not only our collective selves..., but we also carry the abstraction of that resulting nebulous IDENTITY into the FUTURE*..., creating the kind of vacuum , we often experience .. due to not having any real understanding of our collective journey itself..

And I would re-iterate that the earliest of our languages.., (* European variety ) as well as the FIRST NATIONS many many many languages that we are in danger of losing .. hold the key to a better understanding of our CULTURE..., for indeed the COMMUNICATIONS TOOLS ( languages ).. that have helped build the MIND OF CANADA itself.., through which we are ever evolving , still needs to be factored in the context of our earliest of HERITAGE LANGUAGES..., for they have not only shaped the way we think and communicate .., but they also have laid the foundation of our very CANADA CULTURE itself...,

Hence , it makes no sense whatsoever to attempt to deny our LANGUAGE HERITAGE , for it holds the very codes - or DNA itself - of our collective identity*...

Now whether a person has only one language or four or five for that matter when they arrive here in CANADA.., there is the more urgent matter and MIND issues of what role the ever newer and additional arrival can play to build on what has already been achieved..., AND THIS , I CONTEND , CAN ONLY BE REALISED BY HAVING AN AWARENESS OF THE LANGUAGE HERITAGE , and CULTURE ( recognised as a WORKS IN PROGRESS yes..! ) but also having an understanding that there is within the very COMMUNICATIONS FOUNDATION of this country a garden of humanity unfolding before our very eyes...,

We only need but to recognise that there is much work to be done , in fully recognising and respecting what has already helped build what we have , and realised to this very day... ( and then move forward with and from this realisation )..

Our biggest challenge .. much like the distances that keeps us disconnected at times.., is to span the MEMORY along with the COMMUNICATIONS HERITAGE OF THIS LAND.., and then to realise our full potential by accepting the challenge of creating the links to our much needed collective memory. *Ever transformative in it's nature and in the making !

Village .

Catch your breath, man...

Well, now. I actually have theory about something French. You will know that people are discussing endlessly, where the Canadian 'eh' comes from. Fantastic ideas abound. It is my private little notion, that it may represnt an anglicized version of the little 'hein?' that is a not infrequent part of French speech, and would fit the meaning, too.

Is that an integral enough part of the MIND OF CANADA itself for you?

for village

Good point about defining the Canadian culture!

I do not think that this is just a Canadian issue though, as many European countries must work very hard to integrate their immigrants.

I think the work is to have each culture understand that a culture is dynamic. All cultures have a wonderful opportunity to redifine what THE culture could be. It will take time! 1st generation immigrants do not want to forget about their own culture as it is part of their identity: it is comfort and security, especially if English is not your first language. Speaking in your second language is a most humbling experience, especially in a land where all or many cultural references are not there. Most 1st language speakers do not understand that. Will they understand that? Will the second generation Chinese or East-Indian assimilate and integrate some aspects of Western culture in their own? And vice versa! Communication is key! And English should be the common language! If Mandaarin or Punjabi can be a second language for English-speaking people, so much the better, I think! French? As a francophone I would like it to be, but is it really that useful here?

`re: An integral part of the MIND OF CANADA*

..

The important thing to remember , as to our COMMUNICATIONS HERITAGE ... is that CANADA , from a European perspective , and also from LES CANADIENS perspective, and from some 400 years historical perspective , to this day.. is the fact that...

They, LES CANADIENS* , carried and vehicled their dreams and idea of a country..., to the far reaches of this continent.., As Courreurs de bois and voyageurs..*, serving not only the fur trade , but also tasting the same freedom that the AMERICAIN was beginning to experience to the South..,

Indeed.., this part of our memory , and part of our language heritage.., and as a matter of fact .., the very name of CANADA itself.., carried within it,the dreams and visions of LES CANADIENS..*..( and their spoken language , it must be stressed)

And this realisation, begins to hint at the importance , that played not only the language .( French ) - as spoken by these CANADIENS* themselves..) but as important , was the phonetic signature they gave to the very pronounciation we still carry.., IN HOW WE PRONOUNCE THE WORD CANADA..*..,itself.

Comme dans la langue de Mollière .. A,b,c. [i]

And this by itself is a very good example of what defines [i]what can be said to be..,a good example of a significant residual INTEGRAL PART of the MIND OF CANADA*.., as it stands to this day.

Village.

for Dorothy

Do you think it is important to distinguish religious extremists (muslims or others) from normal religious people? I think Canada has a huge problem in trying to integrate the two founding people. I come from a country where there are many cultures, but it is a small country. We see each other everyday and trust each other more. We are not manipulated by politicians or the media to believe that the "other" is an enemy.

To Reality check.., ( great name , by the way ).., and now as to

certain observations made :.. of CULTURE as being a universal issue , and the Europeans themselves as a case in point.

Also taking in your thoughts on various 1rst and second generations of immigrants coming to settle in the '' HOUSE OF CANADA''.

( and of course taking in the many languages that they bring with them.. from far away lands...)

ALL GREAT ADDITIONS TO OUR COMMUNICATIONS MATRIX EXPERIENCE..., and become eventually what I would call VALUE ADDED dimensions to our CULTURE and COLLECTIVE MIND.. way of thinking!

Indeed the very HERITAGE LANGUAGES which have been recognised OFFICIALLY , was a result of deep deep language roots.., as an example, for the very first 200 years of CANADA.., what was spoken by it's inhabitants..- who called themselves - HABITANTS.*

Indeed , the other official language needs not any explanation, for the role that played the British , in our becoming the Nation we are today , is well known, but perhaps not well understood.

Why I mention the above , is to expand on your question of why should the first official European historical language of the land , be acknowledged , as being not only important but VITAL to our memory itself, and critical to our COMMUNICATIONS MATRIX of IDENTITY*

It is simply a historical fact that CANADA , as Europeans got to know of it's existence via earlier MAPS..(created by '' EXPLORERS '' such as JACQUES CARTIER )were to inform travellers that would follow in his footsteps.., as to the existence of a land he named CANADA*, after having erroneously translated what the FIRST NATIONS were describing to him on first Contact.

In a MIND OF CANADA ever in an evolving state , we have , represented , within our National Broadcasting System ( CBC ) and of course (RADIO CANADA ) a very good example of that communications matrix , and compromise ..

Indeed , the languages that are spoken in PARLIAMENT and of course other territories such as the province I was born in , for instance, having and being officially bilingual at that provincial level. All points to the emerging 21st Century CANADA*..,

(continued.... )

languages * , in that 21st Century context , creates GLOBAL

CONTEXTUAL CHALLENGES and EXPERIENCES..

This , I remind you , is at the HOUSE OF CANADA frame of reference , and indeed , if one is to think of the provinces as ROOMS within that ''house '' , then we can explore more accurately the LANGUAGE HERITAGES that helped shape and mould that specific mind,, and country , and Culture itself. .. called CANADA*

I've come to the conclusion that indeed , we are a world experiment.., ( a communications experiment to be more precise ) and our evolving CULTURE and the communications matrix that impacts on the collective mind , that aggregates , our individual thoughts in what becomes a COLLECTIVE THOUGHT PROCESS, or in other words , A MIND OF CANADA*.. awakening.
And is by this realisation, a great footing, foundation and starting point in becoming aware of what makes us what we are.., not only becoming , but also gives us an indication from whence we came...,
in and from a land of communications point of view.

IDENTITY, by any other word or name..

And so, upon reflection , and taking in the comments that have been made on the languages that inhabit us..,- some deeper then others..= due to their COMMUNICATIONS ROOTS being deeply imbedded within our collective psyche .., now begging the question of GRAND FATHERING in our imagination the importance of those two official languages..,

and bingo, what can be concluded from this observation is the fact that yes, other languages are in addition impacting on this WORKS IN PROGRESS.., ( communications works in progress ) ..,
but we still need to acknowledge and respect the ROOT LANGUAGES that are still very embedded within our constitution*..,

It took some 400 years of transformations to have CANADA go from one major language European language , to another major language group impact , then many other language groups that were added unto our
many communication layers.., it also took this two track approach to our communications identity.., to incorporate the impact and imprint that was left on our collective minds*.., indeed within a MIND OF CANADA framework, all communications tools and languages can find their rightfull places..,

The Heritage and ROOTS that give meaning to our existence , though, like any forest and trees connundrum of not being able to see neighter can never ever be denied*..For without Roots, you have neither FOREST nor TREES.., ( to expand on a metaphor )..,

And this is why , both the French Language and the English Language are so fundamental to our growth as a Nation..

The languages that are now coming on board are indeed VALUE ADDED communications tools and vehicles to our emerging 21st Century IDENTITY*..and need only to be made aware of the previous elder languages that played such an important role in our becoming what we are, and will play as an important role in what we will be becoming*..,

A LAND OF COMMUNICATIONS .. entity*

Village.

For reality_check

"Do you think it is important to distinguish religious extremists (muslims or others) from normal religious people"

If it is important to anyone, it is to the 'normal religious people'. They are the ones to whom it would be vitally important not to be tarred with the same brush as the extremists, seeing they are quoting the same dogma and so could bring people in doubt.

What you usually hear, though, is not a vigorous denial, but a rather lame condemantion in technical terms of the atrocities, 'ours is a peaceful religion'. Then a few digs at Americans and Western Europeans, and finally an expressed doubt about whther 9/11 was an 'inside job'. Can you wonder that the boundaries become blurred, as in 'which is it'?

In the former mentioned infamous article in the Saturday rag, it says that:

"B.C. teenagers who are devoted members of their Muslim faith are on the front lines of unpredictable change in multicultural Canada, blending their families' 1,400-year-old religion with West Coast popular culture, with secular lifestyle possibilities they often find fun, but sometimes trivial and distasteful" (the entire article can be read for free on Vancouver sun's web edition).

This kind of condescension is not helpful. The religion may be 1400 years old. Look at how the map of the Middle East evolved after its inception, and the 'peaceful' falls somewhat apart, eh?

The paper, of course, does not help by pitting the 'West Coast popular culture with secular lifestyle possibilities' as the actual counterpart, whereas we also find Christianity, the 2000-year old religion, and Judaism, the 3000-year old religion, and polytheistic religions of various sorts, such as Hinduism, some of which have 5000 years under their belt. One wonders what the newspaper is up to, putting the superficial and disdainful comparison to 'popular culture' in the mouths of these people, if in fact that is not what they said.

When you look at mainstream islamic websites, you will not see much in the way of distancing from extremist atrocities. there is now and then a plaintive remark about all the misundertandings other epople harbor about Islamic affairs, since - alas, it is a peaceful religion. (Ask anyone in Sinjar).

In comparison, check out the Norse and Anglo-saxon traditional religion websites, as well as those of Celtic Druidism and see the explicit distancing from those who would use their symbols and religious tradition in the service of any -ism. There is commonly a banner or link to the 'heathens against hate' statement. I see nothing like that on Islamic websites.

I think the clear distinction requires more than dissing the people who 'misunderstand'. I heard from people who were there as eyewitnesses, about supposedly mainstream muslims in Denmark dancing and singing and driving cars with banners throught the streets after 9/11. I believe it is up to muslims everywhere to convince others of the distinction.

Integrate this, that, and the next thing.

“1st generation immigrants do not want to forget about their own culture as it is part of their identity: it is comfort and security, especially if English is not your first language.”

Let me put you straight there on the ‘immigrant experience’. Immigrants are not all poor scared people from some obscure primitive countryside coming to the awesome and far more advanced Canada with the clothes on their backs and little else.

When I came here, I was not looking for comfort and security, but for adventure. Comfort and security I could have had by staying just where I was. But I will grant you there was one point on which I was vastly naïve: I went hunting, in absolute seriousness, for the real Canadian Culture. You know what? I never returned, I’m still out there looking for it.

It seems to me, that the only time I saw a unified Canadian expression, the day I personally consider the birthdate of a possible Canadian nation, was the day we rejected the Charlottetown Accord. There was unity in that, somehting happened across the land, bringing us all (almost) down on the same side, from sea to shining sea, yippee!

What really gets my goat in all these poetic and semi-spiritual outpourings of Village is the complete absence of any credit given to the people that were here before the first word of the first European Language (talk about Eurocentrism) was breathed on Canadian soil. Oh, there is this story about them pronouncing the native word wrong and so saddling this beautiful land with a moniker based on sloppy linguistics. Besides, you are wrong. If Newfoundland belongs to Canada, and it did last time I looked, the first Europeans on Canadian soil were Leif erikson and later Bjarni Herjolfson and his band of settlers. You must assume they spoke a european language, as well as left heir DNA with some of the eastern tribal mothers to be seen in shades of haircolor even today. You can tweak this by adding 'official', but come on, records suffer in awesomeness with a string of qualifiers, it's just unsporting. So, all the romanticism surrounding ‘founding nations’ and their ‘firstness’ can only hold water if you close your eyes to a whole Heck of a lot of historical fact.

Don’t work too hard to integrate my kind. You’ll break your back on the task. I must observe that I am more conscious of my national roots than I was when I came here. I purported then to be a Citizen of the World, simply going from one western industrialized nation to another. It was only, when I realized that the land I came out of had banned asbestos thirty years previously, while we here were still disucssing, whether it was really bad for you, that I started a slow mental journey, so that now I have arrived at being, not a Danish-Canadian, but a Canadian of the Danish sort. And that’s not half bad; we have a lot in common.

I fully appreciate your honest and forthright statement , and I

I fully appreciate your honest and forthright statement , and I quote , »:
But I will grant you there was one point on which I was vastly naïve: I went hunting, in absolute seriousness, for the real Canadian Culture. You know what? I never returned, I’m still out there looking for it.

You are to be congratulated for that effort. And you know what? , It would be remiss of me not to remind you that with a 500 year head start , it should not surprise you that '' others '' have perhaps made some headway on that search and quest*..,

This is why I come back to the existence of a PEOPLE in CANADA.. which once again both HISTORY itself and PROVINCES which vehicles the HISTORY of this COUNTRY and LAND.., simply did not do their job .., in explaining away our BEGINNINGS *..., or for that matter our evolutionary steps to where we are today.., (* let alone preparing us collectively to any clear vision of the future )..

Education being as it is , under the jurisdiction of each of the PROVINCES .. vehicles - through political necessities of each of their very own reasons - a historical rendition of their very own.., and this created the kind of MANY CANADA'S..,which exist on the ground..( as per how we communicate with each other , how we not only attempt to understand innerstand/outerstand the very LAND that we've inherited from our ANCESTORS..

Of course many other groups of EXPLORERS and '' DISCOVERERS '' came to these lands .. however it is abundantly clear which was successful over hundreds and hundreds of years in creating a lasting influence in the emerging settlements of the day..*

This is not about only acknowledging the earliest HUMAN SETTLEMENTS that were attempted but about fully understanding those , that were successful and those also that carved the very nation that we now are discussing *..,

Indeed , the ongoing influence , for the years,decades and centuries to come ..,from all future immigrants that will impact on our IDENTITY ... is the next great challenge.. of this WORLD EXPERIMENT *..

And by Dorothy's comments , and pre-occupation on certain aspects of this question , I would say that it becomes even more critical that we bring out in the open.., the very nature of our CULTURE*.. ( Which admittedly .., Dorothy is still '' out there looking for it ''...

Others have already found it , Dorothy ,and more so , played key roles in the creation of that particular CULTURE*..

We need but to bridge the gap of the distance.. - immense territories - in this particular construct and house , and fully understand the kind of blueprint , the kind of architectural designs and structural experiences that have shaped us.., ( our laws , our ways and means , our legislatures.. and on and on.. )...

These clearly have impacted , and will impact on the evolving experience of this experiment and construct...

MIND OF CANADA , by any other word..
Village.

As to the Article itself , and the observations that shannon

Bourbonnais makes.. Congratulations on bringing to the attention of the Readers of the TYEE who might not have been aware of this- I include myself in this - the intricacies and CANADA wide IMPLICATIONS of this particular COMMUNICATIONS/LANGUAGE program/technique*...,
BREAKTHROUGH.

It is encouraging to think that the CORE PROGRAM itself will one day - with a little help from techniques such as these- produce conducive environments for CHILDREN all over CANADA to EXPERIENCE the COMMUNICATIONS WINDOWS that open up FOR THEM.. , when THEY are given the tools - read languages - to search out not only new horizons to other cultures and languages of the world itself..,..., but give themselves also an ability to effectively EXPLORE and DISCOVER the very depth of their HOMELAND.

What I would like to state is that the experience that Shannon Bourbonnais expresses - of a public schooling system that does not have the proper techniques nor the appropriate resources to do the job that was given to them- is INDEED
VALIDATED BY MANY PEOPLE I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET ACROSS THIS LAND... ,
( Right up to a recent individual that I've hired that - once again - concurs with what the article tries to express ..)

I personally have also seen the great success of IMMERSION PROGRAMS.. which in a way apply many of the inherent '' STORY TELLING principles '' that are being described in the '' MAXWELL TECHNIQUE '' , and indeed also goes a long distance in bringing to the MINDS of our country's Children a tool, and yes an additional language that will not only permit them to fully understand the underpinnings of what makes CANADA what it is to this day...*..BUT , also goes further by providing for them a GATEWAY to get at participating in the CANADA of tomorrow!

In house so to speak ! ( and with an additional language under the belt..,they can easily envision the acquiring of many other languages of the world..,should they wish to pursue a role.., In a LAND OF COMMUNICATIONS..and CANADA in the WORLD kind of future..! )

A great article and a great insight on a technique that perhaps would have helped so many CANADIANS in better understanding LE CANADIEN*.., ( historically, culturally and nationally speaking.)..had it been applied in the schools of yesteryears..,

As with IMMERSION PROGRAMS though, CHILDREN are very receptive to languages at the earliest years of development and it would be exciting to have this program and technique ( Maxwell's )spread to many more schools of the provinces.. of CANADA.

Village.

P.S. I looked up the links that you included in the article and came away believing what I've always believed .. -when thinking of ACTION RESEARCH..,- that indeed STORY TELLING is where it's at..,especially if they are participating in the creation process of that particular NARRATIVE in the making.

for dorothy

I think we are a bit off-topic. Nevertheless,...

... we must not be meeting the same people or seeing the same shows because I see and hear a lot of regular Muslims (in France for instance) who oppose the actions of Muslim terrorists. The minority of scared, paranoid, plain dumb, distraught, harrassed,... muslim or christian zealots (and its extreme form ... terrorists) stands out like a sour thumb (and probably makes the headline as it is sensationalistic). It's true that the zealot and the terrorist minority is dangerous as their zeal can turn the moderate or zealot muslim (or christian) into a terrorist.I agree with you that normal muslim should be speaking out. They do. But, not many media newscast finds the story compelling until there is someone murdered. That's the issue!

I also feel that you don't have the highest regard for muslim societies --as their men control women. Is Britney Spears any better than a Taliban? They represent extremes and both are an indication that both cultures are sick to some degree. How did Europeans treat their women 500 years ago? How did the inquisition deal with the non-believers? Did they vote? Change takes time. I hope it changes, although it is hard to know if that religion will let non-believers to criticize its false logic. And I hope our culture will change too, eliminatiing its filth, its greed, its faltering democratic systems. A lot could change if our governments and their corporate acolytes would agree to give these people hope and food. Are the baby boomers investing their capital in mutual funds going to ask a 5% return on their money or 15%? Which company will get the funds? The ones that plays honestly? Capitalism is predicated on using the weak and maximizing profits through dubious marketing techniques. Many women (everywhere) love rich capitalists, proving that sometimes it is hard to find one particular to blame. We have sytematic and systemic failure of a system that does nto work as it is based on false premises and features.

Even though not ALL immigrants are poor, scared,... I would think that you were the minority with probably a very good working of English, caucasian looks, and a professional backgrouond! Therefore, my generalizations applies and yours was unnecesary! Do you actually you were part of the majority of people who come to Canada for fun and adventure?

As far as Canada being void of any culture, being European myself, I am familiar with the occasional European who thinks that s/he is superior. Let's compare oranges with oranges. Europe is 1000 of years old and Canada (caucasians) is a little more than 500 years old. And, in 500 years, much has been created by Canadians or Americans, even though some of those creators might have European names. Give it time. The Canadian education system is a very good one compare to a European system that is slow in adopting new research into its pedagogy. Not to say the Canadian system is perfect. Is any system ever?

Why we're failing at French

If one's learning can be "improved/accelareted/insured" by sound pedagogy, one's success will sky rocket with the improved/appropriate/right
A t t i t u d e :) Period. A child is a child. If it may occur to a child, to make a constructive decision (attitude: I want to learn French; improved attitude: I will learn French; the best attitude: I'll give my whole heart and energy to learn/master/speak French *!) - and this does happen - it's called an accident. A good one, but still an accident. Parents can do the ground work to illicite such a choice, but very few do, and those who do tend to use values that don't easily touch the child's heart: money, job security/choice/options. And their children are likely put in an Immersion program.

Read through the comments, a clear link can be made between one's attitude/mind-set and one's success. If the parent's belief system is, "Learning French is an absolute waste of time." (or something to that effect, many of which cannot be stated here, but are VERY prevalent in this country), do you need a degree in Psychology to see how that would impact on a child when in his/her role as a student? One's attitude towards learning directly impacts on one's learning potential.

On the other hand, I believe a teacher may, emphasize "may", come to influence even the most recalcitrant if students are given the opportunity to taste success. As these manifest themselves, a child is encouraged. To reach long term success, this needs to be done every year... which is not usually, or often, the case. I have heard very positive comments about the AIM's approach (I disagree with the previous poster believing that you are trying to sell a method). I would also indicate that all that "positivism" a teacher should bring to French class IS because of that oh-so-poor attitude prevalent throughout this country.

This being said, I took Spanish back in 1973-4. Buenos dias. Uno, dos, tres...vente, trente, ciente, la escuala, un muchacho, Donde esta el restaurante, and a number of other words, verbs, expressions. Not much after one whole year of learning 30+ years ago, and that was using the verb, vocab, writting only, kind of method. I never use it. How is it that the grade nine student that served me in a restaurant last week, who lives here in Québec (therefore there IS a reason for learning it), and has been taking French since entering school at four years old, cannot speak a, not one, word of French? Unbelievable.

Attitude.

*An example in an unrelated theme: the boy last year who won Unicef's prize for raising the most money : 3 000$ (eight years old!) He decided that he was going to do everything in his power to raise as much money for the poor as he was able to. I call that an accident.

reality check, you need a reality check

"Most people from the west will never visit Quebec" Are you kidding?

What most people seem to forget is that language is an enormous part of our culture, in fact, it substantially defines it. I'm all for learning Mandarin and Hindi, but let's remember how this country was established. If we continue to abandon and demonize the francophone contribution to confederation we'll eventually just become one big fat American french fry (no pun intended).

Vancouver is not the only city in this country.

step easy ...

Actually I will go one step further (pun intended)! I think most Westerners will never live long enough in Quebec to understand what it is to be French-speaking and a Quebecois! He or she might be shocked or pleased with some superficial elements of the culture, but it takes years to understand certain elements of one's culture.

BTW, if you disagree witt someone, it helps to substantiate your statements, Please provide stats to prove me wrong! Saying that this is crazy is not enough! Who are YOU kidding?

And, BTW, I think it would also help you to read all of my posts. I believe your response proves you did not. But, do as you please.

In a culture where teachers ...

are paid 1/10 or 1/100 of what some dumb athlete, actress, or singer, where teachers do not get anywhere the type of adulation or honour than those same aforementioned occupations, is it any wonder why teaching's results are not what they are supposed to be. Yes! I know! Teachers arer supposed losers who could not do anything else! Yes! I know! Teachers should see teaching as a career, not as a job! And, teachers will get many women interested in them if they become principals (which someone reminded me makes as much sense as doctors making great hospital administrators), but I digress!

If you want great teachers, pay them better than CEOs who have as many employees, give them fewer students (or more managers), and more time to prepare their lessons (because great lessons take time to create or find), as opposed to asking them to report on students'progress (for instance) with little performance result! But, thwen, what do you expect when teachers who were become principals become hired at the ministry level to make sure that there job will last as long as they need to work!

erratum

their jobs