Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 00:42:47 +0100
From: Erik <erikb-AT-agoranet.be>
Subject: Re: Skool's Out


At 16:39 -0500 09-02-1999, Anarch666-AT-aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 2/9/99 11:48:16 AM Central Standard Time, erikb-AT-agoranet=2Ebe
>writes:
>
>> ANother porblem in brussels schools is language (dutch/french) but that's a
>>  bit to complicated to explain.
>>
>>  Erik
> Just out of curiosity, what language are you raising the kiddies with? I'm
>currently attempting to learn French through school. My teacher was from
>Belgium herself, but she said she's forgotten most of her Dutch.
>Chris

My partner and me are flemish so we speak dutch. Our kids are raised in
dutch and go to school in dutch.

Aimo is almost five years old. In his class he's the only one whose parents
are both speaking dutch. Th emajority is from turkish descent and speak
turkish and french. Also many children from north-african (arabic) descent
are attending this school. They also speak mostly french. Many parents put
their children in flemish schools because they reckon they will learn more
languages that way and have better prospects for jobs later on. Ofcourse
there is the latent racism in belgian society so it is difficult for people
of foreign descent oo find decent jobs.

The children have to speak dutch in the class and efforts are made that
they also speak dutch when on school territoey. Most of teh times the
children speak french with each other. On th street french is the first
language. So we are sure that are children will speak fluent french just by
hanging around with french speaking friends. Probably he'll learn some
turkish four-letter words too.

We put our children in thsi school because it refklects the community we
live in. Many white dutch speaking parenst like us p=FBt their children in
schools that are almost enterily flemish. I think it creates racism if you
do this. Children growing up between children of different cultures are
more open to the different other.

Erik