Sunday 3 June 2012

French as a second language

This past week, I had the privilege of watching my son in grade 1 perform in a mini play in French class. What a wonderful experience! The kids were really engaged and seemed to be enjoying what they were doing. He is now incorporating the text from the play in everyday conversation!

On the other hand, it was a bittersweet experience because the school board recently announced that the are cutting the French as a second language program for the early primary years. My son will not have French class at school now until grade 4. Whatever he has learned this year will be a faint memory by that time. What bothers me most about this change is that the parents were never consulted. Yes the board had a right to cut the program seeing as it was optional. However, a poll of the parents may have been in order. Instead we got a blurb in the newsletter explaining that since other boards don't teach French in the primary grades, they were cutting the program. My immediate response was: "If all your friends are jumping off a bridge, will you jump off as well?".

1 comment:

  1. That makes me really sad. I really wish that French would be offered to our kids. I even considered sending Little One to Espanola so she could learn French. I couldn't do that to her though. The bus ride is too long :( Guess it will be French at home, as we're doing now!

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