Re: Stuck in Canada
 

I certainly know how you are feeling, i remember it well. As Quoll said in another thread, you get so excited about your new life and once the dust has settled you think, err is this it? Im glad i got my citizenship though. We do intend to return in a few years to put our feet up. All the best mate.

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

Wikipedia right? I couldnt agree with you more about teaching to the test though, thankfully Canada is largely free of the standardised testing that seems to drive UK education along, so teachers seem to me to be more free to explore topics with their classes. I suppose thats good if you have a good teacher, not so good if the teacher sucks and there is insufficient testing to identify "areas for improvement".

How about an actual literacy league table study. Granted, things are very close, but these are the actual results:

The Literacy League:

1 Russian Federation 565*

2 Hong Kong 564

3 Canada, Alberta** 560

4 Singapore 558

5 Canada, British Columbia 558

6 Luxembourg 557

7 Canada, Ontario 555

8 Italy 551

9 Hungary 551

10 Sweden 549

11 Germany 548

12 Netherlands 547

13 Belgium (Flemish) 547

14 Bulgaria 547

15 Denmark 546

16 Canada, Nova Scotia 542

17 Latvia 541

18 United States 540

19 England 539

20 Austria 538

21 Lithuania 537

22 Chinese Taipei 535

23 Canada, Quebec 533

24 New Zealand 532

25 Slovak Republic 531

26 Scotland 527

27 France 522

28 Slovenia 522

29 Poland 519

30 Spain 513

31 Israel 512

32 Iceland 511

33 Moldova 500

34 Belgium (French) 500

35 Norway 498

36 Romania 489

37 Georgia 471

38 Macedonia 442

39 Trinidad and Tobago 436

40 Iran 421

41 Indonesia 405

42 Qatar 353

43 Kuwait 330

44 Morocco 323

45 South Africa 302

See also the BBC article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...on/7115692.stm

BBC table summary
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...on/7126388.stm
Canada and Australia both above average for math and reading, UK Average for both.

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

I was looking at the results from the Guardian.
Still so close, not really worth the fuss.
Our school used to have more freedom (here in US) But lately I'm not looking forward to my youngest starting next Autumn, she'll be our last at school. I wish I could move before she goes, and start her in UK (Where she'd still be a year behind) As she's 5 in January

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

Good to hear that you are feeling better :thumbsup::thumbsup:
Yoong

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

Thanks hun - was a horrid month - but am out of the worst now!! spent last 2 days up Seymour on my skis - couldnt do that in UK could I eh??

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

I applied to move to Canada 2 years ago.

Sounds like some of you on here have really been through the mill.

Tbh I am really excited about the move but really scared at the same time. I don't know what to expect.:blink:

Is there anything you think you could have done better to help yourselves adapt or is it mainly a case of missing family & friends etc...

I hope those of you going through the hard times get better soon, and if you do move back I hope it goes smoothly.:)

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

Never had much of a problem ourselves adapting, although we had been to Canada a lot before moving here to live. We took the approach Canada was home from the get go and Britain was the old country. When working I went back quite a few times each year, the OH and kids had the chance to do this (at no cost) and rarely ever wanted to. I think in 15 years they went back no more than two or three times.

The busier you are and the more folks you meet up with the easier it is. Don't expect it to be easy though, it can take a few years to settle in.

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

Hi,
We moved for slightly different reasons than prob the norm.
A) We had the opportunity having the kids and myself citizenship,
B) my hubby had the opportunity to set up the canadian side of the business he came from and be his own boss. Which for us was a no brainer as the industry is not half as swamped as it was in the UK and we are starting to see the results!

We didn't leave cos of the place - i loved my village and the community within it (my biggest miss)
Yes, i hated the weather and dreamed of the kids having a proper outdoors summer like i used to, which they have had.
Yes i felt frustrated as the house prices in the village were always so high (some bargins now though!), having said that, the size of the house i have come to realise isn't the bee all and end all!

I think in certain situations it has been stressful circumstances (jobs etc) that can inhibit the settling in period. Ulimately though i think it all depends on who you are as a person, what you expect to get out of Canada that you can't get in the UK.

We have found the move hard. We have made lots of nice friends and have thrown ourselves into the canadian way of life etc. There is just something always missing though! This is frustrating as there is lots i like about Canada, just think its not somewhere i love and find i'm living away from the rest of the world! The initial idea of skiing/lakes etc etc was very appealing but its not a realistic everyday world . I find myself needing more around me, however what i find boring and stagment might not be what others find!
True there are lots of activities etc etc - which on paper sounds great, but in reality you need a lot of money to do all there is to offer.

I also miss being on the doorstep to beautiful countryside with proper access to getting away from everything! Being in the part we are in, the countryside is IOM not half as pretty as the UK, and we live in a very built up area - needed though for work purposes.

Hence the reason why we are still renting and not intending to buy untill we have been here another year to see how we feel. We are going back to the UK in a couple weeks so that will be interesting to see whether we just have our rose tinted specs on backwards!


My hubby was very much a Yorkshire fella and missess the banter/footie/pubs, days at the local cricket ground etc.

All depends on situation of your leaving the UK, personality types, what draws you to Canada.

I would always encourage people to give it a go as you'll never know till you have tried it, if you like it then it will be the best desion you will have made, if you don't then at least you had the guts to try and will never have the nagging feeling of "what if".:)

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

Thanks for the replies :) I guess everyone is different and some adapt to new situation and environments better than others.

I am hoping that as we both have family there it will make things a little easier for us at least :fingerscrossed: I can't imagine moving and not knowing a single soul:eek:

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

I lived in the states and had 6 yrs no claims bonus there and brought a letter from my insurance company stating that and my insurance company here accepted that,hope that helps

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

I'm hoping not to be stuck for too much longer. I'm trying to make this move as smooth as possible and not push too hard or my hubby will dig in his heels although he is also fed up of island living too. I get nervous palpitations when someone says 'organic' or 'rice tea' or 'yoga'. It's just too BC west coast healthy for me....so boring and predictable it hurts!

Anyway, I hope everyone gets through this holiday season with a smile. It's a tricky time of year and we're all more likely to miss home. I'd love to don a pair of heels and go out with my hubby and our lovely Brit friends. I would be sure of a good belly laugh and a memorable time....and no mention of yoga, organic chick peas.....and so on.

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

Thanks- will bear this in mind for the future!

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

Not only were my children n the education system there, but I also worked in a high school that was deemed to be in a out of town catchment and therefore more priviliged than a few of the high schools in the estates throughout Ipswich.

It was a joke. Ill funded, pressured teachers, kids who mostly didn't care about their education, parents who dumped them and ran each day, in order to work 40 hours a week. Bullying, drugs, under age sex and children at risk were throughout the school, as were children who met the hardship fund criteria. My children went to the feeder primary school.

Due to inclusive education in the primary they were trying to work with kids who were autistic to a rather serious extent in the classrooms with 30 other children at a time. My son was horrified to see one child being dragged down the corridor by two members of staff, as he had as my son said "gone mental". (My son was 7)

My daughter was never picked up on as having speach therapy needs, or having anything else that was picked up on here in the education system, where she is in a class with 15 others. She now speaks much more clearly and is a more confident little girl. Although yes, I must admit she did suffer at the hands or a rather worrying kindergarten teacher here in Canada. So yes, for sure there are issues concerning the quality of the teacher.

But what my point is, and this is as someone who would return to the UK in a heart beat, is the kids here at our school which goes up to a junior high, they are lovely. Nothing like the kids I worked with, and when I say that I mean, they are nowhere near as hardened, cynical or show a need to survive. These are just children. Do I want to give my kids that opportunity to enjoy being children in an environment where you don't have the same worries as the UK, yes for sure. Will I be able to stand Canada for that to happen, I'm not so sure...............

There is a difference, of that I am convinced. I just sometimes think that as parents we are left trying to figure out do we give up living to give our children the opportunities here to grow, that they wouldn't have back there. Then I look at them and think, how can I not?

As the 4 bells said earlier - life eh.

Mrs M x

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

I have worked on Vancouver Island in mainstream education and oh my goodness what a breeze compared to the UK but what sloppiness as a result. I have made beefs on this subject before.....schooling here is a crap shoot. If you live in a great area you'll find great schools.....in the UK they will truly strive for improvements regardless of the social class. I think here the poorer kids get a terrible deal. It's sad to see great kids in a chronically under funded system. As far as I could see, teachers were out the door bang on the bell.....this is the island though and the district I worked in is particularly crap!!! My husband was educated in Alberta and is stunned at how poor it is here. We'll be running back to the UK to educate our kids....to a good area I guess!!!! I was a teacher there for many years and it has its problems there too.....but there's a desire for improvement and change, the kids matter. I think here it's all abut seniority and the teachers. Bizarre.

A blend of the two could be perfect maybe! Could people explain there aversion to French Immersion Schooling? Cheers.

Re: Stuck in Canada
 

Canadian kids don't get pregnant!? Oh my goodness, the Comox Valley has plenty of them.....teen mummies galore....sad to see anywhere but a fact that it happens in both countries.