Canada has established itself as tolerant and warm society. As a result of the country’s friendly policies, thousands of individuals have made Canada their home. The country has taken commendable steps to ensure that migrants experience liberty, warmth and progress. However, despite the country’s best efforts, migrants continue to encounter challenges as they attempt to integrate into Canadian society. Evidence of these challenges can be seen in the struggles of migrant students who grapple with language barriers. These barriers have raised questions about whether schools should encourage learners to abandon their languages and embrace the official languages used for instruction in Canadian schools.
The third chapter offers a thought-provoking discussion on the debate around language in Canadian schools. One of the key issues that the chapter addresses concern whether teachers should require migrant children to minimize their use of primary language as part of efforts to accelerate the adoption of the mainstream languages used in schools. According to the chapter, primary languages are significant. In addition to facilitating communication, these languages also represent cultural heritages. Therefore, it would be unwise for teachers to discourage the use of these languages. In the chapter, teachers are urged to exercise patient and to understand that migrant children require delicate care and understanding.
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Encouraging migrant children to remain true to their primary language even as they learn a second language is another question that the chapter explores. This approach to teaching language has some advantages and drawbacks. The main advantage is that it enables the children to learn the second language at a faster rate. Teachers are able to leverage the first language to enable the children to make greater progress in learning a second language. Another advantage is that this approach promotes linguistic competence as the children are able to master multiple languages. The acquisition of skills in one language does not erode the child’s mastery of another language. Whereas supporting second languages while teaching another language has various benefits, this approach has also been criticized. The chapter makes it clear that in some cases, it is impractical to teach another language while students continue to retain and use their primary languages. For example, in Canada, there are dozens of different primary languages. Teachers would be hard pressed to identify a single primary language to be taught. Another disadvantage is that the children may be unable to make meaningful progress in their assimilation efforts. For instance, integration demands a mastery of such official languages as English. A child whose attention is split between two languages is unable to make the same progress as one who uses the official language exclusively.
There is no doubt that Canadian society has taken steps to eliminate barriers that made it difficult for all individuals to access opportunities. However, some barriers remain and women are among those who have borne the brunt of these barriers. Such scholars as Goldstein (2006) have observed as is the case in countries like the United States, Canada has historically adopted laws and policies that have been found to be discriminatory and have disenfranchised women. Goldstein notes further that before the country adopted the progressive policies that are in place today, there were laws that decriminalized abortion. Canada’s history shows that the enemies of the feminist movement have used laws to advance their agenda. Today, Canada has nearly eliminated the biases and hurdles that women encountered. However, more effort is needed.
As noted earlier, the primary focus of the third chapter is language instruction in Canadian schools. This chapter allows one to understand that there are measures that schools can adopt as they seek to empower minority students. Encouraging the students to remain faithful to their primary language and culture even as they endeavor to integrate into Canadian society is among these measures. Furthermore, the chapter encourages teachers to challenge the parents of minority students to become involved in the education of these students. These two measures would form the main part of a plan to promote the empowerment of minority students. Teachers would be urged to receive the students with warmth and understanding. Moreover, the teachers will need to consider the socio-economic backgrounds of the students as they design the teaching methods and approaches.
It is unfortunate that there are some teachers who are unsupportive of efforts to introduce change in how minority students are taught. Personally, I feel that the fear that the country is being dominated by minorities is the main factor that would drive a white teacher to resist change. For example, to justify their resistance to change, a teacher could argue that the country is allowing in too many migrants at the expense of the wellbeing and heritage of its white citizens. The fact that they will need to abandon their preferred approaches is another factor that I believe would inspire a teacher to resist change. For example, suppose that a teacher is required to allow his students to use their native language. This teacher is fiercely opposed as he believes that the English language is the only tool that should be used for communicating in school. Thanks to this example, it is clear that the fear of change may motivate teachers to resist change.
I fully support Canada’s efforts to accommodate migrants. However, I feel that the country needs to draw lines and establish limits. We should only accommodate the perspectives and worldviews of diverse groups provided that they are in line with our laws and do not violate the rights of any individual or group. For instance, I understand that in some countries, female genital mutilation is an integral component of local cultures. Suppose that an individual from one of these countries moves to Canada and demands to be permitted to practice this ritual. We would be acting fairly when we make it clear that the individual cannot undergo or perform the ritual as it violates our values, constitution and poses a serious threat to the health of those who participate in female genital mutilation. Overall, the chapter is informative and insightful and would be an invaluable resource to progressive teachers who wish to create a diverse and vibrant nation.
References
Chapter 3. Linguistic, religious, and socio-economic diversity and schools. (n.d).
Goldstein, L. F. (2006). Constitutionalism and policies toward women: Canada and the United States. International Journal of Constitutional Law, 4 (2), 294-318.
