Intolerence and Immersion

Hello everyone.

My Quebec host family

     As I am somewhat new to this world of blogging, I figure I had better introduce myself.  My name is Rachel, and I am a first year student in the RDC Bachelor of Education Program.  I am an English major, and so I really enjoy reading and writing, particularly short stories, or anything of a creative nature.  I've had quite a few travel experiences in my short life; I've been to the U.S. four times, to Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands and to Quebec. 

     I went to Quebec in the summer of last year as a part of the government funded Explore program, a five-week language immersion experience.  I lived with a French family and attended classes every weekday morning and various activities in the evenings that were designed to promote French speaking in a casual setting.  We were, indeed, forced to speak French and told that, should we be caught speaking our native toungue five times, we would be sent home immediately at our own expense.  However, although it was difficult at first, we all learned a great deal of not only the language, but also of the Quebecois culture.  It was an incredible experience as we all got the chance to observe and explore the different language and culture without losing our grasp of our own.

     All in all, my experience in Quebec was phenomenal, and I benefitted greatly from speaking a language other than my own.  As such, I was a bit dismayed at the vehemence some of the students in our class used when discussing the practice of forcing students to speak in the language of instruction.  I definitely agree that one of the best aspects of working in education is the exposure to other cultures, races, languages and religions, however, I think that in our effort to be pluralistic and accomodating, we sometimes forget to ensure that these multicultural students are also benefitting from their exposure to our Canadian culture.  In my opinion, it is not at all wrong to ask these students to speak the language of instruction in the classroom because it not only helps to develop their competency in the language in which their learning is evaluated, but exposes them to different perspectives and cultures from which they might benefit.  I completely disagree that this practice robs them of proficiency in their own language, because, quite frankly, the great majority of them speak their native toungue at home, allowing them to retain this aspect of their own culture.  As a past French Immersion student, I have often found that when my classmates were resistent to speaking French in the classroom, it was not because of a belief that it would rob them of opportunities to speak in English, but rather was because French seemed too difficult or unenjoyable.  Yet, after finishing their French education, many of them are immensely grateful for the opportunities opened to them by the culture that was forced upon them in their youth.

     As you can see, I believe very strongly that for a culture to be truly multicultural, we cannot shy away from the cultural differences of others in the name of defending our language and beliefs, rather we must experience the cultures of others while retaining a firm grasp of owr own. 
Thank you so much for enduring this brief rant.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Rachel