🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <DH4F6G.5AA.0.sheppard@torfree.net>,
Andrew T. Chow <au999@torfree.net> wrote:
>integrating with mainstream classes.  With regard to that one teacher on 
>that one TV program, I do not know the full detail and context to decide 
>if the comments warrant generalizing to ALL Canadian schools.  Other 

I read an article (probably in the Globe and Mail) several years ago 
(around 3 to 5 years ago I would guess) where teachers in Vancouver and 
Toronto were 
saying that the ESL children know English well enough to bet by at lunch 
time and after school but not well enough to discuss topics in class.  
These teachers reported that they were not able to have meaningful 
classrooms discussions anymore.

>statistics often show immigrant children do much better scholastically than 

Gee, before Harris was elected, this was sufficient proof for racism in 
the school system.  Now I am not sure :-)

Actually the only statistics that I have seen publicly available are from 
the Toronto board of education.  These statistics show that only some 
immigrant children do much better scholastically.  There are other groups 
that do much worse.  This might be because of changes in the system (see 
comment above) to accommodate them.  Another example is at one 
universtity in Ottawa, you self identify yourself as disadvantaged and 
then can get extra time on exams.

>Canadian children.  It is unclear how the class can be held back due to 
>immigrant children.

I had a discussion with the principal at my daughter's high school last 
year.  I went in to tell him that I was unhappy that enrichment 
activities at the school were an extra curricular activity.  He told me 
that he had received word that morning (poor timing on my part) that his 
resources might well be cut back.  If that occurred, the enrichment 
activities were going to be cut because he felt it more important to 
concentrate on the children in need rather than the high end.  I am not 
faulting 
his decision but pointing out that some children are not getting what 
they are entitled to (under Ontario law at least) because of budget 
allocations toward the children in need.  No doubt, children who don't 
speak English (I don't think that this is a problem in my area) would 
qualify as children in need.

Doug Fraser