This past week working on my language profile, has encouraged me to look deeper into my family history. I was able to reconnect with family members that I have not been in connect with for while, connect with family members that I did not know before, and reminisce on memories I have with people who are gone now. I am very privileged to have known so many members of family from earlier generations and they are memories I will carry with me forever. I always had a knowledge of where my family came from, but through research I was able to make connections and understand their lives better. Over the generations, my family has kept family history books, pictures, letters from the war, and stories passed down throughout the years.
Through my research, it is evident that because of the language policy of Canada in the 1900’s, my family felt their language threatened when moving to a Canada. My great-great grandmother had no knowledge of the English language prior to deciding to make the move. She did not feel as though it was right to move here without knowing the language, so she spent days learning to read, write, and speak English in order to have a fresh start in Canada. I find this to be very interesting in how much Canada has changed as a country. When my family was moving here, the country was focusing on creating a unified and white-settler nation. Now the country is more open to allowing other languages and cultures to be present in the country. Although English and French are the official languages of the Canada, they are free to speak their language in private and the public.
Throughout my school career, I was never given the opportunity to take a language class. I feel as though this is a missed opportunity and that language classes should be made more accessible to students, especially those of small, rural schools. Just as it is a requirement for most students to learn English, I think it should be required for students to take a second language class, especially French. Since there are two official languages, English and French, they should both be getting attention in the education system. As discussed in the lecture this past week, we discussed national unity and a white-settler nation. I feel as though by not having a language class to required in schools, we are following the white-settler nation and moving further away from national unity.