Not only is the language different but the procedures as well. For example, the procedure for riding a bus differs from place to place. In some countries, payment occurs after the ride is complete. There may also be a man on the bus who takes your money once you are seated. The way in which you signal to get off the bus may also be different. Imagine trying to ride a bus in Regina without the proper change or knowing the purpose of the fare box and bell cord.
While Canada is a multi-cultural country, there
is still an expectation for those outside Traditional parent-child relationships can be dramatically altered when children know more English than their parents. Having to depend upon children for assistance can cause problems as it may undermine the parent's authority. In some situations, it can even result in parental abuse. "Many students - including Native Americans - are confronted with the task of functioning in a society that they don't understand. There is a mismatch between our culture and theirs. Their own culture has a different set of norms for simple things we take for granted, such as how to address the teacher, how close to stand to the person they are talking to, how loud to talk. Many times what they see and hear in North America is in direct conflict with their own set of cultural values: people sitting with their legs crossed so that the soles of their feet are showing, dating, displaying affection in public, openly questioning a teacher's point of view. They often feel confusion, conflict, and helplessness over the wide disparity between what they experience in everyday North American life. These feelings are defined as "culture shock." 6 6 Barbara Law and Mary Eckes , The More-Than-Just-Surviving Handbook: ESL for Every Classroom Teacher. (Winnipeg, Manitoba: Portage & Main Press, 2000), p. 67. Copyright © 2000 by Barbara Law and Mark Eckes. Used by permission of Portage & Main Press. |