Language

Te Ao Hou, June 1968, Page 45

Language There is no doubt that the English language is the most important single subject in the curriculum at both primary and secondary school and even at university level. Therefore, all children must be subjected right from birth to the accepted language of the schools. Far too often our children arrive at primary school linguistically ill-equipped and at a disadvantage when compared with the European child. In addition, our education system quite rightly has been planned for the European child, since it has its origins in Britain. Immediately a Maori child, or any child, becomes aware that he is at a disadvantage it becomes a psychological problem and he does not perform as well as might be expected. His selfrespect is damaged. All children have a tremendous amount of learning to do while at school. Any ‘disadvantaged’ child finds it hopelessly intolerable when he or she is relegated to the lower section of the class. Of course these children do not catch up to the European child generally but find themselves in the ‘C’ and ‘D’ classes at secondary level. Continual failure throughout their school lives inevitably results in poor performance, low achievements and damaged self respect, and before long they yearn to leave school not because of their lack of native intelligence, but ‘because school life has offered them nothing but failure’. It is, therefore, important to bring up your children with better English fluency. Sit down and talk; allow them to talk; read books to them; answer their questions and give them a great number of varied experiences while they are young. These rich experiences in the bush, on the beach, at the zoo, the airport, the railway station, the farm, the river, and on the lake will provide further opportunities to increase their facility with English. At pre-school level these experiences are vital. All children will learn and are willing to do so.