À bientôt

Folks, given that the recent squirmishes have subsided — with a sort of détente rather than a victory, it’s true — this blog is probably going into a hibernation phase. No doubt things will heat up again, certainly in the lead-up to the next provincial election, but who knows? perhaps sooner. And when that happens I will in all likelihood dust off the old keyboard. But for now there is little to say. Or little I want to say, anyway.

I am going to leave this blog up as an archive — it is an artifact of a particular struggle at a particular time and place and as such it represents a little corner of history, however modest. And I may post, from time to time.

If you really miss me, drop by my other education blog, Living in interesting times. Also, coincidentally, about a N.B. Liberal disaster, this time involving post-secondary education. Those wacky politicians, eh? What high jinx they get up to! Crazy kids.

As always, you can read about FSL in New Brunswick at the Citizens for Educational Choice website, and Immersion delayed is immersion denied. And keep your ear to the ground: CEL will be around as long as we need to be.

Like Batman, only bilingual.

Too good to languish in the comments

Eric just posted the following comment in response to the previous post on humour:

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Kelly Lamrock: Because the chickens on this side of the road were causing streaming which hurt our test scores! For this reason, we are eliminating chickens and will provide each child with an egg in grade 6 from which some might produce their own chickens. Children who do not opt for the egg will receive chicken manure.

Donald Arseneault: The chicken had to cross the road so we could establish a Uranium mine on the chicken’s property.

Kelly Lamrock: People who oppose the chicken crossing the road are missing the hidden X factor! You often have to cross roads in fantasy football.

Victor Boudreau: Because the other side is not paying its fair share of taxes! The Liberals will increase the taxes on both sides as well as introducing a road crossing fee.

Kelly Lamrock: Following a court ordered consultation, I have decided to compromise and just make the chicken cross halfway. We’ll just hope that no cars come by.

Mike Murphy: Because it is more efficient to have separate systems! We’ll have chickens on that side and ducks on this side.

Shawn Graham: What did Kelly say?

Just sayin’

At least one way of measuring the freedom of any society is the amount of comedy that is permitted, and clearly a healthy society permits more satirical comment than a repressive, so that if comedy is to function in some way as a safety release then it must obviously deal with these taboo areas. This is part of the responsibility we accord our licensed jesters, that nothing be excused the searching light of comedy. If anything can survive the probe of humour it is clearly of value, and conversely all groups who claim immunity from laughter are claiming special privileges which should not be granted.

Eric Idle

Off the grid

I won’t have internet access for the next little while. For the latest news, events, updates, and media links on FSL, go to these fine sites:

• Citizens for Educational Choice (CEC)
• Immersion delayed is immersion denied
• Facebook

Posting here

may be light in the next little while as the latest post-secondary education report has hit the fan.

One thing about the Liberals: they are consistent.

For the latest news, events, updates, and media links on FSL, go to these fine sites:

• Citizens for Educational Choice (CEC)
• Immersion delayed is immersion denied
• Facebook

And be sure to read the new hand-out from CEC, Be bilingual in this place (download PDF). It’s a thing of beauty. Pass it on.

The editor

will be out of the country for the next three weeks teaching a course, but has been assured that she will have regular access to the interwebs and so you, dear reader, should notice nary a difference.

Salut!

Welcome to la maison, a weblog designed to be something of a clearing house of information about the fightback against the New Brunswick provincial government’s plans to scrap both early French immersion and core French, and force all students in the province into a “one-size-fits-none” education model. There is a lot (a LOT) of activity on Facebook, but not everyone has a Facebook account and so there seemed a need for an alternative source of information.

As some of you will know, I started posting material on a blog began last year as part of the fightback against the Commission on Post Secondary Education in New Brunswick’s report on higher education in the province, particularly the proposal to decommission UNB Saint John. That fight is far from over (though at least the campus is safe), but this new threat to education, while part of the same government agenda, has its own set of issues. So, a new blog!

Living in Saint John, my focus will be on the southern part of the province and Saint John in particular, but will try to include as much information about the rest of the province as I hear about.

No doubt “la maison” will seem a strange title to Francophones; “clearing house” probably doesn’t mean the same thing in French as it does in English in this context: a central place for the collection and dissemination of information. But that’s okay. French Immersion is for kids whose parents aren’t bilingual. And I am one of those parents.

Bienvenue à la maison.