Tom Says: “It’s the right move…”
You have to take your hat off to New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham and New Brunswick Education Minister Kelly Lamrock for making a decision which they knew would be largely unpopular. I think what some people fail to remember is that provincial governments are elected to take care of all of it’s citizens, not just a select few.
It occurs to me that when French second language instruction was introduced many years ago, maybe the original introduction was what was flawed. Originally, if they said there would be no French second language instruction until grade five, and then at grade five there would be intensive language instruction followed by the choice French immersion in sixth grade, then perhaps what has become New Brunswick’s political hot potato would no be nothing more than a cold French fry?
The government claims French second language instruction, (as it’s now taught in our schools) is simply not working for all New Brunswickers and who am I to try to tell them they’re wrong?
If something isn’t working, aren’t you better to change it and try to fix it than simply leave it the way it is?
I’ve always felt that trying and failing is a much better alternative for finding the right answer than sitting around and doing nothing.
Forty years from now, French second language education will be the legacy of the Shawn Graham government. Graham will either be hailed as the Premier who brought French second language education into the 21st century — or he’ll be remembered as the Premier that took a program that wasn’t working for all of his constituents, and made it worse.
I can only hope time will prove this move is the right one and all New Brunswickers must hope for the same thing.
The government has indicated the new program will go into effect this September. I know that elementary schools are making the necessary class reassignments and I’m willing to bet there are more school teachers who agree with this new approach than disagree.
I’m Tom Young.