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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-12-05, Page 5+ia iS , :.. PININ ould payforimmersion ►oat:few ID90401 have attend- t 'ani of m 1> en involved t.m a v ; eusaiop 1n.the topic -of French Immersion. The message .conveyed at each public iiipeting contained the same ideology that "the most sucessful method of teaching a child the French language is, through French Immersion", or total classroom ex- posure to the•language. r. . It is nay , contention, however, that the most successful, way to prompte any topic is through continual exposure and so it seems to be a , natural conclusion, that the understanding of the French language would be no exception. This theory could be. verified whether the topic be music, sports, literature or politics. The more exposure received, the more proficient the student may become. It is quite unsettling, however, when you become aware that the problems associated with attempting to implement a new pro- gram of this magnitude to the school system appear numerous and what could develop into preferential treatment for a small number of students is very disturbing. It has been insinuated that a class as small as twenty-four students would be considered, while, at the present time, there is a grade one class at Robertson School with 34 students. The student -teacher ratio would appear to be out of bolance and when you consider the drop-out rate which appears relatively constant at 5 percent per year, you arrive at a very small class in a very short time. It also appears that the. French Immersion students are tested at certain stages of their education and the weaker students are directed back into the English program. As a result. the English classes become larger and a wider teacher -student ratio margin is realized. LFTTF_RS I was left with the impression that only teachers trained and qualified to teach French Immersion classes would be hired by the board if this option were to be made available. This • policy would appear to discriminate against the students from the area who are graduating and hoping to ,enter the teaching profession near their hoes in Huron County but have not taken French as a major subject. This approach could become disturbing to numerous recent graduates in this position. There have also been various comments regarding the availability of textbooks and reference material on French topics. At the present time, there is a ready supply of • English texts, however, the funds to pur- chase these texts appears to be in very short supply. Asa result, many classes share tex- tbooks, numerous classes have books which are very outdated and within the past year, it has been indicated that some students in the core French program have no French textbooi.s at all. It, therefore, appears that the available grant money which is highly publicized is falling quite short of its contemplated purpose, as the core French program is also eligible for the grant dollars. It must also be realized that the grant dollars are based on the grant ceil- ing available to the Board. At present, the Huron County Board is at its ceiling so a lower percentage of grant money would be realized. This is a very important considera- tion and it becomes apparent that some items in the pnglish program may have to be reduced or eliminated if Freneh Immer- .144 sloe is considered. sion is seriously considered. During a student's school years, he is taught the working basics of many topics, some of which are Math, English and Fren- ch. As the student progresses, he decides which career field he will pursue and, at that time, increases whichever topics are required for him to reach his goal. It is con- fusing why a general working knowledge of the French language would not be accep- table until a career choice is reached. At the present time, the'existing core program pro- vides sufficient hours of instruction for a student to reach an acceptable level of profi- ciency in the French language and I, therefore, fail to see the need to implement an entire new education system devoted en- tirely to learning French. In the past, it has been the policy that tiyone wanting extended instruction for their children, whether it be in music, danc- ing or sporting activities, shoulder the cost of this instruction themselves and tnese endeavours have been pursued on the students' own time. It is, therefore, my sug- gestion that the interested parties engage a French teacher for further French in- struction after normal school hours and not ask the taxpayers of this County to pay for something which cannot, feasibly, be made available to all students. In summary, I would like to suggest the people of Huron County make their priorities known to the members of the school Board by requesting the limited funds available be directed into strengthen- ing the present English system before fur- ther dilution of the existing curriculum becomes detrimental to our youth. Yours truly, Doug Harrison What has happened to Canadian values Who is the most uinocent here? An unborn child of course, a creation of two mature people in love, supposedly. Oh! but we are so selfish. Why shoulld we be burdened with a mistake, because of some one-night stand. We can demand justice for all the moral issues of this country. What happened to our ethical values? The acquittal of Dr. Morgentaler is the work of Satan. Our Lord Jesus Christ will judge at the end. Not only Morgentaler and people like him, but also those who abort their children. The innocent, remember. Anne Flikkema Dear Editor, There is something terribly wrong with Canadian attitudes and our moral standards are very mixed up. People are making such big issues about caribou dying by the thousands because of some river rising, baby seals being killed because of some hunters, threats of chocolate bars being lac- ed with poison and monkeys being used for experimental research for modern medicine. The public is screaming for justice. They want the death penalty because too many policemen die in the line of duty. They Give the gift Dear Editor, I've been a general practitioner and ophthalmologist for 40 years. During that time I've worked in remote regions deliver- ing babies on kitchen tables, performed eye surgery in primitive refugee camps and practiced in cities with the most modern equipment. I've had the satisfaction of treating thousands of people and even sav- ing a few lives. But, one of the greatest thrills of my life was to hold a small card with the name of a third world person whose sight I had restored with a mere $25. Operation Eyesight Universal, based in Calgary, offers Canadians a unique oppor- tunity to help the 40 million people in third vo£j i,ppuntries who are blind. Ever, a small donation can have astonishing results. Twenty five dollars will pay for a cataract operation, ten days in hospital and new glasses. The surgeon personally signs a card which contains the name, age and ad- dress of the patient, and the card is mailed to the donor. Operation Eyesight was formed in 1963 m answer to an appeal from Dr. Ben Gullison, a Canadian medical missionary, to save his eye hospital at Sompeta, India from rlosina want -justice when our children are heina secually or physically abused. If a heart of an animal is being used to keep a child alive because there u just not enough human organs available, Canadians scream. Of course we have to complain, scream or whatever it takes to be heard for justice, because most of these issues are innocent. The children and animals can't speak out for themselves. So the Canadian people take it upon themselves to make an issue out of them. What makes me angry is the acquittal of Dr. Morgentaler, and these women wanting the freedom of choice for one's own body. of sight this Christmas due to lack of funds. From a few hundred dollars that first year, voluntary contribu- tions have grown to over $21/2 million m 1983. This money is used to treat patients and train native eye technicians, doctors and nutritionists in 17 countries. Operation Eyesight trains people in their own coun- tries where they are familiar with the condi- tions and can immediately' begin curing vi- sion problems. In 1983 alone over half a million people were treated and over 70,000 were given back their sight. Since 1963, Canadians have generously given over $10 million dollars to Operation Eyesight but we've barely scratched the surface of this immense problem. Over 40 million human beings in the third world are blind — 75 per cent of these could be cured by cataract surgery. Also, over half a billion have eye dieseases that will lead to blind- ness unless suitable medicines, better nutri- tion and preventive programs are given. Service clubs, businesses, churches, schools and informal groups often raise money for mobile operating units and other specific projects. On occasion, schools or in- dividual classrooms challenge other schools to fund raising competitions. Two years ago, when my wife died,. our family decided to ask for donations to Operation Eyesight in lieu of flowers. It was a great satisfaction to our family and friends to see pictures of a special mobile eye clinic given in her name. (Donations are matched by the Canadian International Development Agency.) Many Canadians show they care by using donations as gifts to loved ones on bir- thdays, at Easter and Christmas time. Donations as memorials when a loved one expires, which causes rebirth of an in- dividual with new sight, new hope and faith in the goodness of people, does niucli to ease the sorrow of those who remain You can give a Christmas gift this year to a friend or loved one, that they will never forget. The gift of sight for a blind person in the Developing World! Write to Operation Eyesight Universal, Box 123, Stn. "M", Calgary, Alberta T2P 2H6! Sincerely, J.T. Cruise, M.D. (Victoria) Home 11 Hardware GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDA,'Y, DECFMBER'5911984--PAGE 5 STARfGODERICH TQW-N:SHIf 1-57p WITH US!, Goderich Toinrnshi Retreatlti'on Board Presents DECEMBER 31, 1984 AT THE GODERICH TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY CENTRE - HOLMESVILLE Dancing 9 pm - 1 am to "Country Companions" Refreshments - Hot Buffet, Spot Dances $25. per couple Dress as you would have in 1835. Door Prizes. 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