Сhildren are immigrants. Are they scared in their new country?
Elena moved to Canada with her family from the Netherlands, where she lived temporarily after the war began in Ukraine. We found out how children adapt at school and in Canada.
Elena has been thinking about immigrating to Canada for a long time and has had a difficult journey. Elena has 3 children: Sofia, 3.5 years old, Eva, 9 years old, and Jacob, 15 years old. Of course, as a mother, she was worried about the difficulties of adapting her children to school and Canadian society.
The children knew about the plans to immigrate to Canada and took the news of moving with joy. After their arrival, the eldest went to school, and the youngest is still at home.
How do children overcome the lack of the English language?
Elena says: "The little girl does not speak English, but now she can say a few simple phrases. For example, she names objects, fruit, and vegetables in English in the game. Soon she will go to additional classes for kids, and her language skills will be developed faster.
My middle daughter started learning English in Ukraine only last year, she studied Dutch in the Netherlands. In Canada, she had to learn English and French again. Despite the difficulties, Eva enjoys learning.
My son, on the other hand, doesn't have any difficulties. He additionally studied English at a language course in Ukraine and was the best student in his class. So there are no barriers to communication.
How does adaptation in school go: communication with peers and teachers?
The older children were assigned to different Catholic schools. The children were assigned according to their year of birth. In Ukraine, they would have gone to the 3rd and the 9th grades, but in Canada, they were enrolled in the 4th and the 10th grades. According to the middle daughter, she was very warmly welcomed in her class.
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