Why Do Most Parents In West Not Teach Punjabi To Their Children?

[MisterrSingh]

8 minutes ago, puzzled said:

It really isnt that hard just need sikh schools and gurdware to cooperate, and some interest from parents! 

The generation that came before mine (people in their early 40s with kids who are now entering their teens) are beginning to get angsty when they see their children have little to no knowledge or interest in their culture and language. Now, these Punjabi parents are freaking out, because they've realised their kids are, in essence, Europeans with tanned skin, lmao. Nothing wrong with being white or European (at all), but something is obviously happening in the minds of these parents when they see what type of youngsters they've raised and are in the process of raising. Unfortunately, they seem to think pushing the kids off on Punjabi schools on the weekends will rectify a lifetime of cultural neglect. It won't. The phrase, "Locking the stable door after the horse has bolted," springs to mind.

[puzzled]

6 minutes ago, MisterrSingh said:

The generation that came before mine (people in their early 40s with kids who are now entering their teens) are beginning to get angsty when they see their children have little to no knowledge or interest in their culture and language. Now, these Punjabi parents are freaking out, because they've realised their kids are, in essence, Europeans with tanned skin, lmao. Nothing wrong with being white or European (at all), but something is obviously happening in the minds of these parents when they see what type of youngsters they've raised and are in the process of raising. Unfortunately, they seem to think pushing the kids off on Punjabi schools on the weekends will rectify a lifetime of cultural neglect. It won't. The phrase, "Locking the stable door after the horse has bolted," springs to mind.

I dnt think people realise how important of a role a language plays in ones identity. 

It's a fact, pubjabis that dnt know punjabi are very gorafyed!  While punjabis who know how to speak punjabi are not.

You look at these teenagers who dnt know punjabi and bloody hell they are basically brown skinned white kids! Even their whole body language, expressions is that of white kids    even when they talk english they sound like proper white kids!   

Kids who dnt know punjabi are goras 

Language is a strong link to your background and origin, without it your just a brown white person. Once your language goes so does your identity. 

And looking around you can see it all happening. 

My driving instructor was a British born punjabi he was like in his 40s and his 2 teenage sons didnt know punjabi, he never taught them. He used to be visibly upset and used to tell me how they dnt know anything and that their not even interested. 

[Ranjeet01]

Even a second and third generation Sikh that know Punjabi inside out and can speak it theth will still be westernised .

Even if you know your identity, it is naive to assume that you are not impacted by your environment. 

Go back to Punjab and see how much you really 'fit in', you will still stick out.

An Anglo-American whose forefathers left England back in the 1600-1700s will still stick out when he comes to see his ancestral roots in England.

See how much the French make when they hear a Quebecer speaks French. 

 

 

[MisterrSingh]

10 minutes ago, Ranjeet01 said:

Go back to Punjab and see how much you really 'fit in', you will still stick out.

That's the anomaly that defies explanation. You can't win no matter where you fall on the respective spectrum of "Too Punjabi / Not Punjabi Enough" and "Too English / Too Pendu." 

I stopped trying and just became ME. That's good enough. Like it or lump it, I don't care.

[dallysingh101]

2 hours ago, MisterrSingh said:

I've been pushing that line on here for a while, but nobody seems to be biting. I think we underestimate the relief felt by parents foisting their offspring on state-run indoctrination centres for eight hours, i.e. schools. And then we complain when the children grow up to the opposite of what we hoped they would be. All the discipline and positivity imparted at home largely flies out of the window as soon as the child steps outside the front door; doubly so if the child's sangat / peer group is 5hit. I'm not sure I'd go the Amish route, but if things continue as they are in the West the choice between raising a well-adjusted, wise child instead of a skittish, confused, ideological sponge parrotting the secular doctrines of the day, is becoming apparent with each passing day.

Some of the levels of 'education' I saw as a teacher shocked me to the core. 18 year olds who'd been in schooling for over a decade still unable to read without stopping and starting like a 5 year old. People who couldn't string sentences together, or rewrite a text in their own words. Young adults with the vocabulary of a child. 

I think many intelligent, educated parents could do better than state schools when it comes to educating their children.

But saying that, a lot seems to be dependent on intrinsic qualities of the child. A bright child picks stuff up regardless of their environment. I've seen some kids from really dysfunctional backgrounds having no cognitive defects and achieve academically. On the other hand, a slow one struggles, even with all the support in the world. What (to me) seems like natural differences in individual memory capacities play an enormous role too. Some people have brains like sieves, some seem to be able to retain conversations, almost verbatim, years after they have taken place.

But like you allude to, the indoctrination the kids receive is something we all need to be aware of. The way things are today, your son would come home and tell you "Don't call me your son anymore, henceforth I am your daughter, because I identify as a giraffe" or "You're racist because you want me to marry within my own faith!"

Most apnay parents are oblivious to these things until they hit them, and even then they don't really figure out the role that 'education' played in the situation they find themselves in. That attitude of dumping all educational responsibilities of your children on schools/colleges is deadly. Every last intelligent black teacher I know, knows this (especially the females), I think sullay know it too - our lot seem a bit slow in comprehending the situation compared to others.      

[puzzled]

Theres something very grubby about people who dnt know how to speak punjabi 

[MisterrSingh]

1 hour ago, dallysingh101 said:

Some of the levels of 'education' I saw as a teacher shocked me to the core. 18 year olds who'd been in schooling for over a decade still unable to read without stopping and starting like a 5 year old. People who couldn't string sentences together, or rewrite a text in their own words. Young adults with the vocabulary of a child. 

I think many intelligent, educated parents could do better than state schools when it comes to educating their children.

But saying that, a lot seems to be dependent on intrinsic qualities of the child. A bright child picks stuff up regardless of their environment. I've seen some kids from really dysfunctional backgrounds having no cognitive defects and achieve academically. On the other hand, a slow one struggles, even with all the support in the world. What (to me) seems like natural differences in individual memory capacities play an enormous role too. Some people have brains like sieves, some seem to be able to retain conversations, almost verbatim, years after they have taken place.

But like you allude to, the indoctrination the kids receive is something we all need to be aware of. The way things are today, your son would come home and tell you "Don't call me your son anymore, henceforth I am your daughter, because I identify as a giraffe" or "You're racist because you want me to marry within my own faith!"

Most apnay parents are oblivious to these things until they hit them, and even then they don't really figure out the role that 'education' played in the situation they find themselves in. That attitude of dumping all educational responsibilities of your children on schools/colleges is deadly. Every last intelligent black teacher I know, knows this (especially the females), I think sullay know it too - our lot seem a bit slow in comprehending the situation compared to others.      

That in bold is something that can't be legislated for or ignored, and it's absolutely key.  Until we wrap our heads around it, the human race won't progress as it should.

Personally, being into mysticism, I believe these differences arise from the individual level of development of the undying part of us that accumulates knowledge and learning throughout each of our lifetimes. Others of a more rationalistic mindset might veer towards explanations rooted in IQ, etc., which in all honesty, might be relevant, too. The Nature Vs Nurture, for me, is too simplistic, and it doesn't explain all possibilities.

[dallysingh101]

3 hours ago, MisterrSingh said:

Personally, being into mysticism, I believe these differences arise from the individual level of development of the undying part of us that accumulates knowledge and learning throughout each of our lifetimes. Others of a more rationalistic mindset might veer towards explanations rooted in IQ, etc., which in all honesty, might be relevant, too. The Nature Vs Nurture, for me, is too simplistic, and it doesn't explain all possibilities.

Yeah karams fits nicely into that. I like the way that it is out of man's hands - showing us how hukam is the real driving force.  

Also, I think Waheguru themselves sometimes throws spanners in to keep some people's egos in check. Like how many highly successful but overzealous parents have we seen, who've pushed their kids so hard with high expectations only to be gravely disappointed because the kids don't have the drive or ability to replicate the worldly 'achievements' of the parents. As we've seen over the years, some kids even top themselves due to exam expectations.....

You need to get away from that Nature vs Nurture framework or risk looking outdated. That's long been superseded with an understanding that nature interacts with the environment to cause characteristics. Like we could have genetic predispositions to stuff, but these things only manifest if certain conditions in the environment are met e.g. having a genetic sociopathic disposition and then being raised super harsh will exacerbate this, whereas another type of upbringing may dampen it down.  

[JSinghnz]

On 6/17/2020 at 7:24 AM, ChardikalaUK said:

You grew up speaking Punjabi, I'm guessing you went to a school where you spoke Punjabi, you spoke Punjabi with your friends, siblings and cousins.

Your children who are going to school in New Zealand speak to their classmates in English, they watch English TV. If they marry a Sikh who was also born in New Zealand then they will speak to their partner in English, your grandchildren will grow up hearing their parents speak English, they may pick up some Punjabi from you but since you speak decent English your grand children will probably just speak to you in English. Your great grand children may know some Punjabi phrases but that will be all.

That is how it works for every immigrant group throughout the world and throughout history. Show me one example to the contrary.

Like I said if Punjabi language was of the utmost importance to you, you should have stayed in Punjab.

You are again being repeating yourself by posting another joke of a reply.

Lots of immigrants around the world are proud to be multilingual as compared to some confused people who forget about their roots and think everyone is like them.

[ChardikalaUK]

1 hour ago, JSinghnz said:

You are again being repeating yourself by posting another joke of a reply.

Lots of immigrants around the world are proud to be multilingual as compared to some confused people who forget about their roots and think everyone is like them.

They are multilingual for the first 2 generations and then the language begins to disappear. I can speak Punjabi as my parents were born in Punjab but most people i know whose parents were born in this country can barely speak it. I have seen it with my own eyes. Keep burying your head in the sand and living in your fantasy land. I have asked you to give me examples of immigrants who have been in another country for several years and can still speak the native language, you have again failed to do so.

Sikhs have only been in New Zealand in big numbers for 10-15 years. Have a look what will happen in the next 50 years.