Having a hard time in Wales.

[oOlaurenOo]

I grew up in an English part of Wales and don't speak Welsh. As an adult I moved only an hour down the road for work.... to a much more Welsh part of Wales, where there is a high percentage of 1st language Welsh speakers, and all primary schools are 1st language Welsh (they say they're billingual but in reality they're not)

I have always been happy living in this part of Wales but now, since my son has started school in a Welsh speaking school, I am beginning to worry. I am not comfortable with his education being in a 2nd language. I ask him how school isand what he did but I just get "nothing"!! I try tosay phrases to him in Welsh but he tells me to stop. I'm worried that he just sits there and stares blankly at the teacher without a clue of what is going on. But I'm more worried that his education and potential will suffer due to him not learning in his own language.

Any ressuring words or advice? Thanks x

Weegiemum that's a beautiful saying, what a perfect way to make the dual language seem a really positive thing. I will have to get on to of the DS' to translate it into Welsh for me.

OP, if he's in the meithrin this is the stage where you don't often see all the learning that is going on. At this stage he will mostly be able to understand Welsh and will be using some words but not whole sentences. So he may say for example, 'I'm going to sit down on the cadair (chair)'. Once they are full time and a little older they suddenly become fluent, and it's the most amazing thing to see when you first hear them have a full conversation in Welsh with a friend or teacher. It all kind of falls into place. I'd give him a bit more time but in the meantime, do speak to the teacher and see if they can put you at your ease.

Nocomet, moving to a country where people speak a different language is always going to feel difficult for adults, someone who has moved to France could probably identify with the feeling of exclusion I'm sure. It doesn't mean all other languages should be abandoned in favour of English though surely? And it's also another very good argument FOR Welsh language education. Kids who go to welsh medium schools just pick up the language without even having to work at it particularly hard. Growing up bilingual means they will hopefully never feel as intimidated by other languages as monolingual english speakers often do.

Bemused, I think you've been really unlucky there. I'm a welsh learner and am close to being fluent now. I've never had anything other than encouragement and support from Welsh speakers. But I suppose there are arseholes in every country!

Siilk - wondering where you are now!

Lost, I'll get my Welsh speaking (welsh medium teacher) SIL to translate it if you like!

The trouble is there is NO MOVING involved.

The politicians in Cardiff impose bilingualism, compulsory Welsh GCSEs and Welsh medium units on areas of Wales where non of the parents speak Welsh.

I have DFs who find themselves in the same position as the OP despite coming from generations of local hill farmers.

It's not simply people like me who happened to do all my schooling in Wales, but moved away after university who feel we could never go back, it's true locals who also feel pushed into an education system they don't fully subscribe to.

i do think compulsory Welsh GCSE is a waste of time tbh, well a waste of a GCSE for my dd, i was trying to push it last night with her, basically she says it is a struggle for her and she would not have chosen it. She did see my point about learning it to be polite but .....
fine for those who want to choose it of course

My Nain spoke only Welsh. She was in Mid Wales. My Dad was caned for speaking Welsh because of English authority. So of course there will be different attitudes depending upon your own identity. We all speak Welsh and live near Caernarfon in the far North.

Sorry I've not replied for a while. I've had a poorly baby :(

Milyblods, thank you for reply, I wonder if we're in the same area! Anyway, there are no English speaking schools nr.us (which annoys that there is no choice)... My dh is considering moving to an area with english schools but to me, if we're going to stay in wales then our ds is better off with welsh behind him incase he decides to stay here and then needs a job.... Me personally would like to move out of wales.

Weegiemum that's great, but it doesnt really bother me that he'll have two languages and will be able to learn more more easily... What bothers me is that I think he will do better in his education if he does it in his 1st language?

Have you though of home education then until they reach secondary school when they could go to the nearest secondary Welsh speaking school. I know there is one near me?

Sorry, meant Secondary English speaking school. I think there they teach Welsh as another language similar to French.

And choice OP is the real crux of the matter.

Powys county council (That covers the whole of mid Wales) is having to save £20 million, they are giving pay cuts and redundencies out to large numbers of staff and cutting services. Other Welsh councils are in the same boat.

They are closing and amalgamating schools.

They can't afford to run a simple school system.

How on earth they can afford to run one that offers two totally different primary streams, I just don't know.

Well choice is always nice but where we live there would be no point in having English primary schools as its Welsh speaking area and as I said before, Welsh is the everyday spoken language. English is mainly used by incomers and tourists. I do understand what you say regarding predominately non Welsh speaking areas of Wales though Nocomet.

But, Millyblods do your brightest 25% stay or do a high percentage of them disappear to England?

DH would live to return to his equally beautiful rural home (which also once had it's own language), but the reality is he has to eat.

I think the only thing that can be said about Welsh education is there is no ideal solution.

I follow Welsh education stories in the news and you get parents in both sides of the debate complaining that they can't find a school that predominately teachers in their choice of language.

And personally I think all schools should teach in English with differing amounts of Welsh dependent on the region of Wales, because that's what gives the DCs the greatest choice in adulthood.

In this part of Wales there does not need to be a solution as there is no problem. It is a Welsh speaking area as I have already explained.

Being able to read and speak Welsh is a necessity here as most positions advertised want Welsh speakers only. Jobs are advertised in Welsh. Without Welsh here you are not able to integrate properly.

Yes and one day your DCs may want to spread their wings.
They need to speak good Welsh to work in at most a 50 mile radius of your house.

With good English the worlds their oyster.

My DF spent a year in Spain teaching English to junior managers. English was essential to promotion even there.

We had Spanish exchange students, at university, who said text books were half the price if you could use English ones.

Your DCs ambition may be to be your local GP and for that primary school Welsh and senior school English would be essential.

Welsh universities teach some courses in Welsh, but you need to be able to access text books and the Web in English.

They speak perfect Welsh and Perfect English. They are in their twenties. I don't think you seem to grasp the fact that I live in a Welsh speaking area. It is the norm.

yes but nocomet Welsh speakers over the age of 5 are invariably bilingual so accessing the web and so on would not be a problem.

The schools are bilingual in Secondary school. You are the one with the issue here. If you don't like it don't live here.

i agree with you millyblods, that is how it is in Wales, if you do not like it, do not live here isn't it?

Definitely Nigella.

You can even understand how the Welsh don't like the English with attitudes like that.

oh let's not go there milly!

No your quite right Nigella. It's just that I see this type of attitude every Summer when tourists season starts and the English visitors ( not all of course) start having a go at the locals for speaking Welsh when they are around. Grrr.