CPFMagazine SPRING 2018 Vol5 Issue2

More documents

Recommendations

Info

& BY NANCY MCKERAGHAN, CPF NATIONAL PRESIDENT THEN I am an advocate. It started in 1981 when my husband and I decided to enroll our five year old daughter in a fledging French immersion program. This meant putting her on a bus to a school outside our area. It was a scary proposition and we had lots of opposition from family and friends who told us we were crazy. My experience over the years has proven that those parents who took that leap of faith tended to be involved in what was happening in the program. We wanted our children to be successful in acquiring a second language, so we paid attention. And, when issues arose that threatened that premise, we advocated. Among the issues we faced were: • misunderstanding about the program. (It’s not “special”. It is the same program, just taught in another language.) • accommodation • access • program quality • accusations of elitism • transportation • counselling out • critical mass • bias/prejudice • secondary access and programming • teacher proficiency • support for students needing access to special education opportunities. Thankfully, we had a school board who was also interested in seeing the program succeed. Not only has it succeeded, it’s flourished! Over the years, the board set up committees which included trustees, staff and parents. We struggled with these issues, we compromised, we found solutions. For the parents, the focus was always on the students, their program, and their success. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t perfect. In those days, there wasn’t a lot of support or research. We didn’t know there were groups of other parents and supporters who were also advocating. We thought we were alone. We didn’t know that Canadian Parents for French existed. What a difference it made when we did! NOW I am proud to say that today I have a daughter who is fully bilingual. Unfortunately, I have a son who is not (though he is able to communicate in French) because he was counselled out of the program. It is one of my greatest regrets that I didn’t know it was my right to insist that he stay in the program and get the help he required. So, where are we today with respect to French as a second language? There are thousands of students whose lives have been enriched because their parents saw the value of learning a second language. Unfortunately, many of the issues that existed in 1981 still occur. In my grandson’s French immersion school, boys and children who are “restless” are discouraged from entering the program. Already there have been several children counselled out of his Grade one class and sent back to their English one. That’s after only four months. In many areas across the country, there are struggles around accommodation and access to programs. Trustees and staff still need to understand the programs offered, the importance of providing transportation and access, and the need to provide opportunities for students who may have a learning disability to remain in the program with some assistance. (The same assistance that will be required if they are counselled out of their program.) There are still concerns around teacher 18 CPF MAGAZINE SPRING 2018
proficiencies. Sadly, myths around second language learning still exist among the general public. WHAT HAS CHANGED? Thanks to Canadian Parents for French, we now have access to fact-based research to use in our advocacy. We have forty years of knowledge and experience to call on when needed. We have committed parents and supporters who volunteer to sit on committees and FSL Working Groups. We have position statements to use in our advocacy. We have a network of committed people across the country who are willing to share their experiences. Hopefully, we have advocates at the school level who will make sure that the trustees, school staff and parents know and understand the work that Canadian Parents for French provides. It could be as simple as purchasing a membership, even if your child is no longer in the program. Numbers do matter and demonstrating support for second language learning with your membership sends a positive message. MY FINAL WORD? FSL programs are not mandated. Pay attention, get involved. Make sure the focus within your school district is on positive language acquisition and programs that are accessible to all. n “ It is one of my greatest regrets that I didn’t know it was my right to insist that he stay in the program and get the help he required.” CPF MAGAZINE SPRING 2018 19
Page 1 and 2: Magazine VOL 5 ISSUE 2 | SPRING 201
Page 3 and 4: Magazine CANADIAN PARENTS FOR FRENC
Page 5 and 6: Saluting the Excellence of FSL Educ
Page 7 and 8: ? What are really proud of in your
Page 9 and 10: their interests, learning styles an
Page 11 and 12: Building Empathy through Bilinguali
Page 13 and 14: EDUCATION RESOURCES Learning French
Page 15 and 16: of Canada’s Bilingual Youth As a
Page 17 and 18: Ma branche préférée Texte de / T
Page 19: FSL FINDINGS STUDENTS IN K-12 FSL P
Page 23 and 24: in the capital, Iqaluit. Most Franc
Page 25 and 26: KEY CPF CONTACTS ACROSS CANADA Nati
Page 27 and 28: |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

CPFMagazine SPRING 2018 Vol5 Issue2

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?