The Election (Urghh!!)
It's January 17th and although I'm on vacation till February 1, I have been busily engaged in creating lesson plans for the rapidly approaching classes. The English Camp was certainly a good experience ; it has been very helpful in forming the plans.
I've made a couple of decisions:
1} I'll try to institute an 'English 0nly' classroom.
2) I'll make dialogues the 'meat' of the lessons.
On the first day back, along with my co-teacher I'll meet with the vice-principal and see he'll support these ideas. But, these are elementary students so I can't realistically expect them never to rely on their native language. Setting this policy will however represents a goal and it'll have the immediate effect of reducing the amount of chatter that goes on. To increase the liklihood of its success I'll depend to some extent on the students' innate competitivness. Each month I'll award points, certificates and a small gifts to the student with the most points in each class. Just administering this will force me to get to know the students' names.
Tonight I went to my favourite bar to have a couple of beers. I brought along a biography of Jack London to read. Unfortunately, my friend from the last time I went, was there too and in approximately the same state of inebriation as before. I tried to hide away in a booth, but that didn't stop him from sitting down beside me and talking my ear off. I indulged him politely for almost an hour, but then made it clear that I just wanted to read my book. I picked up the book and started to read.....he still kept talking. He was probably saying what a rude so-and-so I was to ignore him that way. In any event, it worked. After I had read only a chapter and a half he muttered something, got up and left.
I was listening to CBC radio on the internet a couple of days ago and heard that Harper won the election with a minority. About a month before coming here my son and I went to see a movie at the Silver City theatre in Gloucester and while in the line for food I saw someone who looked oddly familiar. It was Stephen Harper. I whispered to my son, "That's a man who will never be Prime Minister." Well, good thing I don't bet on the horses! At least it's a minority government and he can't do too much harm. I may not be pschic, but it doesn't take one to realize that there'll undoubtedly be another election in a year or two. Why not? They only cost a couple of hundred million dollars each!
Even worse than Harper winning the election is the fact that Gillles 'I'm a nipplehead' Duceppe and his gang, hold the balance of power in Ottawa. Apparently Duceppe feels that the election results prove that support for their moronic plan to become the world's first 'poutine republic' is increasing. There's a Korean word that comes to mind, ''mich'in'' - crazy. The dream of a separate Quebec was an something dreamed up by fiery young writers and intellectuals incenced to action by the many years of repression suffered by the French in Quebec. Someone once said something about communism to the effect that, a man under the age of 30 who isn't a communist has no soul, but a man over 30 who is a communist, has no brain. I would say the same thing holds true of Quebec separatists. They are either poor misguided idiots, or evil men bent on destabilizing Canada, so they can become big fish in their own very llittle pond.
The founders of the separatist movement achieved something better than what they had ever intended....recognition of the wrongs done to tne French in Quebec. Now, the situation is very different...French is the pre-dominant language of Quebec. What I think the separatists are railing against now (whether they realize it or not) is a much bigger threat ...globalizatlon. For whatever reasons, English has become the defacto universal language. English is certainly a wonderful language...it's flexible, precise, and very much alive. But, English is certainly not an easy language to learn; it has too many illogical, arbitrary rules, and way too many completely non-sensical exceptions - it would not be my choice. I think it would make more sense to use Esperanto or one of the other languages that were specifically designed to be a universal languages. I suppose English has gotten to its position in the world largely thanks to it being the language of business, air travel, computing and American culture.
Those who see globalization as a threat to their culture and language and are fighting the uphill battle against it, will not win by circling the wagons, measuring letters on signage, or by becoming an isolated island of French in a sea of English. Once the bloodshed stops and make no mistake there will be bloodshed, the new 'Poutine Republic' would have to deal more than ever with the U.S.and they would find the Americans far less accomodating. The Americans' patience with whining about French, or Quebec culture will last only as long as it takes for them to get what they want, i.e. resources.
It's sort of ironic that I, a French guy whose family history in Quebec goes back to 1642, and who counts the nationalist premier, Honoré Mercier, amongst his ancestors is currently occupied with spreading English in the world. Despite my current occupation, it would be a terrible, terrible tragedy if English ever became the only language in the world.
Okay, enough soap boxing!
This is Monday evening. Only one more day off before I'm back in the classroom. I've created enough lesson plans to get me through at least a couple of weeks of classes. I'm not sure where I'll be on Wednesday. I could be at Chilwon or the school rotation thing may start this week and I'll be at a different school every day. We'll see.
A couple of things I noticed this week...
1) As I was sitting in one of the upper classrooms searching the internet for teaching resources, through the corner of my eye I thought I saw something scurry across the floor towards the desk. I stamped my foot, and sure enough a little mouse scurried back where it came from. Thankfully it wasn't a rat! Otherwise, you would have heard my girlish scream from here.
2) As I was walking back from swimming a couple of days ago I noticed a butcher shop. In the window there are sillouettes of animals. There's a cow, a pig, a chicken and yes, a dog. As far as I know I haven't eaten dog since I've been here. That's not to say that I didn't, just that I'm not aware that I did. Apparently, when you ask for beef you may or may not get beef. I have eaten beef a couple of times. I really would rather not know the truth.
Till next time.
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