About a year ago, Cindy Cole and her husband were looking for a school for their son, Carson, who was going into senior kindergarten.
The couple had considered the French Immersion program at St. Michael’s School here despite the fact they are neither Catholic nor French-speaking.
But speaking to other parents who had put their children in French Immersion, the Coles heard few good things about the program.
Some parents told them they pulled their children out of immersion in Grade 3 or Grade 5, saying they had begun to perform poorly in some subjects.
The Coles also were concerned about helping their son with his homework once he reached higher grades if they couldn’t speak French themselves.
The turning point in the Coles’ minds came at an information meeting last year at St. Michael’s for parents considering the French Immersion program for their children.
A number of students from Fort High who were in the program spoke to the parents about their experiences.
“They had really positive answers,” Cindy Cole said. “Hearing first-hand from them, it was enlightening and motivating for us.”
When she asked the students about homework help, “they said they all support each other,” she noted.
In the end, the Coles did enroll their son in the French Immersion SK class at St. Michael’s—and have been very pleased with their decision.
“In the first week, he was counting to 10 in French. It was amazing how quickly he picked it up,” she noted.
Cole told her story to a group of about 40 parents and teachers at a meeting at St. Michael’s last Wednesday night to discuss the French Immersion SK class for this September.
John Madigan, director of education for the Northwest Catholic District School Board, informed the group that the class may have to be cancelled if more children do not register.
St. Michael’s principal Teresa Dennis said the board and the school work hard to promote the French Immersion program, but the final decision is up to the parents.
“Parents do shop for schools and they do come looking for what each school has to offer,” Dennis noted. “You’re trying to sell your program and sell your school without selling your soul.”
There currently are 14 children enrolled to begin French Immersion SK this fall, but the board requires a minimum of 20 students to run the program. This is largely due to attrition rates—when classes drop in size because of students who move away or leave the program.
“If you start with 20, you’re going to end up with 15 or 16 at the end of Grade 3. It becomes a very difficult program to run, fiscally,” Madigan explained.
While the board admitted it could afford to run a smaller class for one year, the problem arises when the enrolment remains low every year.
“Fiscally, we just can’t operate a school system with classes of 14. It isn’t sustainable,” agreed Superintendent of Business Chris Howarth.
Madigan stressed children already in French Immersion—from SK to Grade 12—were not at risk of losing their program. They would be able to stay in immersion until finishing high school, if they so choose.
“The board’s policy is if they’ve started, they’ll see it through to the end. The board is committed to that,” he pledged.
Across Canada, about 320,000 students are enrolled in French Immersion, according to the Canadian Parents for French.
Benefits of learning a second language include a greater range of career options, enhanced creativity and problem-solving ability, and a deeper understanding of other languages and cultures.
“Studies have shown immersion students to be more flexible thinkers, with superior listening skills,” the CPF states in one of its brochures. “Numerous reports have shown that French second-language education—whether core or immersion—does not diminish math or English-language skills.”
The definition of French Immersion includes a minimum of 3,800 hours of instruction in French by Grade 8.
The local Catholic board’s immersion program provides 90 percent of instruction in French in SK, 75 percent in French in Grades 1 and 2, and 50 percent French from Grade 3-8.
“The expectations in each grade are essentially those outlined in the English-language subject curriculum documents,” the board wrote in a report on French Immersion in November, 2002.
That is, students in French Immersion are taught the same material in math, science, history, and all other subjects as students in English-language schools.
But the problem of low enrolment is not limited to Fort Frances.
“There certainly is some declining enrolment in French Immersion across the province of Ontario,” said Superintendent of Education Al Cesiunas. “Trying to find French Immersion teachers to teach these classes is becoming increasingly difficult.”
As of Monday, enrolment for French Immersion SK at St. Michael’s still stood at 14. But the board remains positive.
“We have time. We have time to let parents know about it and to drum up some interest,” Madigan said.
A final decision on whether or not the French Immersion program would be offered in SK here this fall does not have to be made until mid-April, he noted.
“We all need to work together. It’s a partnership,” Madigan said to the parents assembled last Wednesday night.
The local chapter of Canadian Parents for French also has pledged its support in the effort to keep the program running.
“Our chapter will invest a great deal of energy informing parents about the benefits of French Immersion,” said chapter president Nina Sokoliuk.
“We are fortunate that our children have the opportunity to have a bilingual education,” she added. “French Immersion opens up many academic, cultural, and career opportunities.
“We want to keep our children’s options open,” she stressed.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
