Re: "Unilingual children will be at a disadvantage," Oct. 2.
Geoff Johnson's perspective that parents are enrolling their children in French immersion for some future economic advantage within Canada is much more esoteric than the reality.
As an educator in the secondary school system, I see that the main reason parents push their children into the French-immersion program in the public education system is to avoid the special education/behavioural students that may be included in the regular classroom mix.
These parents might or might not speak French at home, but because there are no class-size limits or class-composition limits, as there were in previous years, the trend is for middle-class parents to register their children in the French-immersion program.
Extra funding is provided for this program from the federal government, and it's seen as elitist to remain in the French immersion program from kindergarten to Grade 12. When education funding is restored to proper levels, I'm certain the interest in French-immersion programming may taper off, and those students who are "unilingual" will not suffer any permanent damage - economically or in "snobisme."
Rafe Sunshine
Victoria
