Keep Early French Immersion in New Brunswick

7:11 pm PDT, Jul 26, Michelle Stairs, Canada
I think that it's outrageous that we would discontinue Early French Immersion. I went thru Late Immersion and I had always wished I had learned French earlier. I think that children who are 6 are going to pick up the language and accent a lot easier than children who are 10. My son who is going into grade 1 in the fall is excited about learning French, will he be as excited in 4 years time? If the province wants to see better test results at graduation maybe they should look at improving what's offered at the high school level so what kids have learned isn't lost.

7:49 am PDT, Jul 25, Susan Linkletter, Canada

9:49 am PDT, Jul 18, Michelle Sherwood, Canada
I personally was a parent that was fortunate enough to have the immersion program offered when I was in the school system. Even though I use it rarely today, it has opened many doors for me in the job industry. Being so close to Memramcook and Dieppe, I believe that early french immersion is a must in our schools.

4:50 pm PDT, Jul 15, Hollie Sturgeon, Canada
I am extremely upset that the Provincial Government is considering removing the early French program from schools. My daughter is excelling in her French class and enjoys it very much. I think that the only bilingual province in Canada should be investing in our children's education and providing them with every opportunity to become bilingual as early as possible. The French AIM program that is being offered at Nelson Rural School is an excellent program and it should not be eliminated.

9:13 am PDT, Jun 24, Joseph Berube, Canada
It's very hard to comprehend goverment's reasoning when they claim to be doing what's best for kids when they take away a tool {french emersion} which can be so usefull in life. In taking this decision with no consultation} did they {government} think of the child or of themselves?Also how can they keep this decision even after the courts as well as the ombudsman say that the decision was taken in hast. VERY POOR DECISION MAKING ON THE PART OF THE MINISTER.Hope all the other ministers don't think like this one.

6:06 am PDT, Jun 23, Kathleen Crowther, Canada
Please let our children be educated in both languages at an early age. If we want our children to stay in the province to work once they graduate, we have to give them the same advantage that francaphone children have.

2:03 pm PDT, Jun 21, Eleanor Clark, Canada

1:39 pm PDT, Jun 21, Murray Clark, Canada

5:12 am PDT, Jun 21, Micheine Rivington, Canada
The logic behind this decision is flawed and irrational when you consider that NB is the only officially bilingual province in the country. We will be hamstringing the children and future of this province by removing this the educational opportunity from them. There are not adequate alternatives available to those of us who live in English communities, we do not have the option of enrolling our children in French schools. I hope the government decision to review the decision is being done with a genuine interest in hearing what is being communicated to them by the citizens of NB.

1:30 am PDT, Jun 21, Hugh Graham, Canada

11:47 am PDT, Jun 20, Hildor Pinette, Canada

11:34 am PDT, Jun 20, Marlene Pinette, Canada
It would be a tragedy if the EFI were eliminated. It certainly shows lack of foresight on the part of our Liberal government. In order to fix the core programs their solution is to eliminate the EFI. It makes one question who is leading us.

10:31 am PDT, Jun 20, Emilee Pinette, Canada
I am so disappointed that EFI is being cut from our education system in NB. Why would it even be considered when studies show that early immersion is the most successful way for someone to learn a second language. I know there are parents who have concerns about their children learning English in school before French but I have 2 nieces in EFI who are fluent in French & English and we had hoped for the same for our children, one who is ready for grade 1 in the fall and was registered for EFI. I am amazed daily by what she learns in school and by what she retains and know that were she to have the access to EFI she too would be bilingual in no time at all and able to interact with her extended French family members with ease.

9:50 am PDT, Jun 20, Marc Pinette, Maine
As a graduate of early french immersion from the 1970' in Fredercton NB I was very upset to hear that NB was cancelling such a great program in favor of a late program destined to fail. My daughter is now starting grade 1 in Woodstock and is registered in French Immersion will not have the same great education as I did. I know from dealing with adults of late immersion that their comptence in french is no where near as good as the students for 12 years of immersion. Being bilingual in Atlantic Canada is a necessity to function at a high level and late immersion is not the answer. If 75% of the parents in NB do not take advantage of this program please do not risk the education of the other 25%. Kelly Lamerock should not have the ability to remove this program. He needs to improve on the problem areas not the successes.

I will not vote for Graham's government next election if this does not stop. We moved back to NB after years in the west to take advantage of this program and now I regret the move. Taxes are high, wages are low and now you take away the only reason to stay here. I trust Lamerock changes his mind, is fired and we can now move onto other more important issues.

8:27 am PDT, Jun 20, Gaetane McGraw, Canada
Early immersion works.

7:39 am PDT, Jun 19, Lionel Goguen, Canada

7:37 am PDT, Jun 19, Justin Goguen, Canada

7:36 am PDT, Jun 19, Julie Goguen, Canada

7:35 am PDT, Jun 19, Krista Goguen, Canada

7:34 am PDT, Jun 19, Richard Goguen, Canada

7:33 am PDT, Jun 19, Jessica Smith, Canada

7:31 am PDT, Jun 19, Natasha Smith, Canada

7:30 am PDT, Jun 19, Jeff Smith, Canada

7:29 am PDT, Jun 19, Rachel Smith, Canada

7:27 am PDT, Jun 19, Angela Goguen, Canada

7:24 am PDT, Jun 19, Melanie Goguen, Canada

7:07 am PDT, Jun 19, Alice Goguen, Canada

9:51 pm PDT, Jun 18, Jalianne Li, Canada
Please do not remove the EFI program from our schools! I cannot even begin to express how disconcerted I am that our government would try to do something like this without a fair and meaningful consultation with the public. This is not some small change in a law or a policy, but something that affects every single New Brunswicker as it will affect the education of the future men and women who will live in New Brunswick and run our province. Et, le voulez ou non, le francais est une partie tres integrale dans notre histoire et notre culture. Nous sommes la seule province officiellement bilingue! I am not blind to the problems in our current system, but I am not blind to the benefits either, and I firmly believe that the problems will not be fixed by scrapping the EFI program. More emphasis needs to be put on conversing in French outside of the classroom and we need to improve on the quality of our high school French classes. My elementary school French classes were more challenging than what I have experienced and heard of high school ones. I left my English high school and switched to a French high school for other reasons, but I believe that I would not have kept up the level of French that I had had before high school and improved upon it had I stayed at the English high school. As well, I would never have had the opportunity to attend a French high school had it not been for EFI, and I would never give up the experience I had there.

9:05 pm PDT, Jun 18, John Li M.D., Canada
Judging from my own personal experience of learning English as a teenage immigrant from Hong Kong and from my EFI experience with both my daughters, I have no doubt that the earlier one learns a second language, the faster one acquires fluency and achieves long-term retention of the language skills. The Minister of Education blamed the EFI program for ghettoizing our English program. It's not valid. The proper remedy for that problem would be to give more resources to the program in need instead of cancelling a program with proven success. I do not believe that six weeks of consultation would allow for proper and fair review of this complex matter. The future of our next generation is in jeopardy.

7:29 am PDT, Jun 17, Crystal Lahaie, Canada
I want to begin by saying that all I am seeing is people rejecting closure of early FI and not a whole lot recognizing that there is a problem, let alone giving any suggestions to fix the problems that exist. I am a mother of 3, one just about to start high school, one finishing grade one and a toddler. Having the two children at such different levels in their FI schooling allows me to see where the problems are. Early immersion IS NOT THE PROBLEM. Having also been through the late immersion program myself, my 6 year old daughter is correcting not only my french abilities but can speak much better french than my 14 year old who has been in this program for 8 years. Might I suggest that the best time for children to learn a second even a third language is at the elementary level. Haven't we all been told this fact by experts for years. My suggestion to the powers that be is to reevaluate where the problem is beginning, I'm sure that you will find it is in the lack of interest that Middle school students have, and the unwillingness of teachers to be hard on them at that level. I truly beleive that if a change is to be made it should be in doing the following; doing a half day of french at the elementary level (this giving children the opportunity to learn how to read and write in their native language as well), intensify the immersion at Middle School level inorder to broaden that base learned in elementary, then in the high School level cut back again to half days in french (instead of almost cutting it out completely). I sincerly hope that my letter can reach some one that can make a difference, so that my children have the best opportunity to succeed in their education and careers to come. Thank you.

6:41 am PDT, Jun 17, Craig Isherwood, Canada

6:07 am PDT, Jun 15, Name not displayed, Canada

4:58 am PDT, Jun 13, Anita Cyr, Canada
I have 3 bilingual adult children.One is heading to Montreal to go to university.He is so glad he is bilingual.My 12 year is in early immersion and an A student. I want the same opportunity for my 3 year old.All 3 of my older children are in university.Learning French is a right and does open many doors for our childrens futures.I hope my 3 year old has that right like her older siblings.

3:25 am PDT, Jun 13, Gail Langdon, Canada

4:15 pm PDT, Jun 12, Brianna Matchett, Canada
Early immersion works fine

save early immerision i'm in the program right now and it works fine

10:07 am PDT, Jun 12, Kelly McKillop, Canada
Mr. Lamrock is taking away my right as a parent to educate my children as I deem. As to date, I have on child enrolled in the early french immersion program who will continue as he will be under the grandfather clause, but my other child won't cause she is in kindergarden. I had already enrolled her in the same early french immersion program as her brother but will now be denied cause Mr. Lamrock is taking away our right to have our children educated as we, the parents, would like.

9:10 am PDT, Jun 3, John Daly, Canada

8:36 am PDT, May 31, Kate Worden, Canada
How can we take Early Immersion away from the only bilingual province in Canada?! I was a geat student, and both my children are doing very well! Add them to your statistics!! Can't beat a straight A student!

Please reconsider the damge you're causing!

10:13 am PDT, May 29, Cécile Martel Robitaille, Canada
Very Great to see that many messages are written in Enlish by french people... AHhh the beauty, the versatility of being bilingual, trilingual...

7:57 am PDT, May 27, Name not displayed, Canada
After all the hard work supporting French immersion, it feels like the rug has been pulled out from under our feet. This affects our family in a huge way and I feel I did not have an opportunity to voice my concerns before this decision was made.

12:03 pm PDT, May 21, Connie Culligan, Canada

8:19 am PDT, May 20, Blaine Legaree, Canada

9:20 am PDT, May 16, Dawn Levi, Canada

5:22 pm PDT, May 15, Darlene Wedge, Canada

2:18 pm PDT, May 15, Christine Doiron, Canada

7:40 am PDT, May 15, Michele Fabbroni, New Jersey

5:51 am PDT, May 15, Jennifer Doiron, Canada

5:11 am PDT, May 15, KELLY DELUCRY, Canada

3:48 am PDT, May 15, David Sturgeon, Canada

8:10 pm PDT, May 14, Juliet Manning, Canada
I will never understand the desire to eliminate Early French Immersion. It is not doing harm - you lack analysis behind your statistics.

8:00 pm PDT, May 14, Heather Comeau, Canada

6:08 pm PDT, May 14, Kelly Sherrard, Canada
I planned that my child would be attending French Immersion since she was conceived and now that choice and opportunity has been taken from our family. I come from a French Canadian background with a French maiden name, sadly the French language was lost from my family with my grandparents and was never passed on to my father and his siblings. I have wanted to restore this part of my heritage but have had difficulty doing so with the Core French Education background I have. I previously tested at an Intermediate Plus Prvoincial Competency in French but still find it difficult obtaining bilingual employment. I want my children to be better equipped than I am to find bilingual employment in this province.