What do the students say?

I'm so glad Mom made me do it!

This article about Brad Stewart of Fort Saskatchewan appeared in the fall 2006 CPF Alberta News.

As the end of Grade 9 approached, Brad Stewart didn’t want to continue in French immersion. He enjoyed speaking French, and didn’t find it difficult. But continuing meant going each day to Ardrossan, where his district offers the high school program, instead of attending Grades 10-12 with his friends in Fort Saskatchewan.

Now he’s grateful to his mother for insisting he carry on.

Last year Brad travelled to Europe, spending two months in France and a week in Amsterdam. There he enjoyed interacting with the residents and with the young people from many countries who were also visiting the area. He found the many cultures and variety of accents fascinating.

"It’s not until you get out of Canada, where everyone is pretty much the same, that you realize how big and diverse the world really is! Knowing a second language makes that experience so much easier and far more rewarding."

From time to time, he reports, he had to ask for a word or phrase to be repeated, but had no real problems coping with a variety of accents and living almost exclusively in French for nine weeks.

"Knowing the language so well made it very easy to meet people. Some of the others who were touring couldn’t go much beyond ordering food and asking for directions. I was able to share jokes and enjoy great conversations."

Brad is saving up to see more of the world, perhaps Central America and Asia in the coming year. Then he wants to return to Lille in the north of France, where there are a number of universities and colleges and many foreign exchange students, for his postsecondary studies.

"In elementary and junior high, French immersion seems like more work, but I found that in high school it all came together. I don’t think my language skills improved—because only two subjects were taught in French—but continuing for those last three years ensured that they didn’t deteriorate."

What would Brad say to today’s students? "Stick with it! Immersion is worth it: you learn so much more!"

French immersion was the best decision my parents could have made for me!

Heather Szpecht of Calgary was one of the speakers at CPF Alberta’s 2005 conference. Following is a transcript of her presentation.

My career in French started at a very early age. My parents, neither of whom were from a Francophone background, decided to enrol me in the French immersion program in kindergarten. At that age, I thought nothing of it. To me, it was just a new experience, just another challenge to master new vocabulary, to get 100% on my spelling and grammar tests.

As I progressed through elementary, junior high, and finally high school, I continued with French immersion. What kept me in the program all that time, when other students were dropping out?

Well, first, I really do love languages. But I believe it was also all the extra opportunities outside the classroom I was involved in. I made several trips to Quebec during that time, including an exchange. The trips allowed me to see the French language in context and directly appreciate the cultures that came with the language. Also, French was involved in my first job as a ski instructor. Because I knew both English and French, I received a higher salary. I saw the ways that bilingualism paid off — no pun intended!

After high school, off I went to the University of Calgary. I chose to study International Business, as I had a keen interest in other cultures and the global community.

Languages, to me, were very important in business communication. I considered them the passwords, or access keys, to break down cultural barriers. I definitely didn’t want to lose all that I had learned over the past twelve years, so my goal was to take roughly one French course per semester.

I did some research and realized that there were two options for studies in French at the U of C: courses offered in the French department and courses offered in French through other departments, such as Anthropology, Economics and Sociology.

The first course I took in French was Economics 201. As a scared and nervous first year student, I had just left a Psychology lecture of over 400 students and was making my way to my first Economics lecture. It was quite a shock to the system when I entered the room and realized that there were only five other students.

After an initial adjustment period, I came to enjoy the class. I got to know the professor and the students really well and it was easier to ask questions during the lecture. By the end of my second year, I had pretty much exhausted the courses offered in French through other departments.

During my third and fourth years, I took mostly classes from the French department. To bypass the first year courses, which are too easy for a French immersion grad, I was required to write and pass a placement exam. I took some very interesting classes: African films in French and French literature from across the country, to name a couple. I enjoyed the small class sizes and made some friends that I never would have otherwise met.

In my third year, I also applied to the Business Cooperative Education program. This program allows a student to obtain one year of work experience through three semester-long full-time work terms.

I spent my first two work terms at Export Development Canada, a crown corporation in Ottawa. It was an amazing experience, not only for my chosen field of study, but also my French. When conversing in the office with colleagues, French and English were used interchangeably. In such a bilingual city, I was able to use French almost exclusively!

I recently graduated from the University of Calgary with my Bachelor of Commerce degree in International Business, and managed to achieve my goal of one French course per semester.

If I were to do my degree over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. I enjoyed my University education so much that I plan on doing a Master’s degree.

So to sum up, if I can offer a couple recommendations, they would be these:

First, I think that being in the French immersion program was the best decision my parents could have made for me. I have really come to love languages, and am currently working on my third and fourth ones.

Second, I found out that you don’t need to do a Bachelor of Arts in French to continue your language studies at the postsecondary level. There are so many different opportunities to continue your French language learning. With a little research, it’s easy to find them. Make sure to take advantage!

Carlin Lubbers was a member of Peace River High School’s Class of 2000.  Here are his thoughts about learning French, first published in the fall 2000 edition of the CPF Alberta & NWT News.

This year marks a special year for me. Not only am I graduating with an English diploma, but also a French diploma here in Peace River. Including kindergarten, thirteen years of learning French has given me a solid and strong understanding and ability to read, write, and speak the French language.

My parents had originally decided to enrol me in the immersion program and have continued to encourage and support me throughout the years. I also feel privileged to have had two incredibly dedicated teachers for six of my school years. Mrs. Linda Labbe and Mrs. Nicole Walliser spent many extra hours with students on school trips like a trip to Quebec and they made learning French fulfilling and enjoyable.

As a student in French immersion I feel the benefits in the end will outweigh the disadvantages. There were some struggles throughout the years. Through attrition, class sizes became smaller, creating split classes. Sometimes we had fewer options to choose from or we could not take a high school course because of timetable conflicts.

I also feel there is a lack of recognition for French immersion graduates. Some suggestions that would encourage students to stay in the program include: achievement awards, provincial recognition on transcripts, scholarships to post secondary institutes, and special certificates from participating schools.

Looking back at my knowledge of the French language, I count the many times I used this exotic and domineering language to fulfill adequate part time employment in the Canadian economy. I have learned that any employer will take a bilingual individual over a similar experienced unilingual individual.

In my reflection on my French studies, I find students enrolled in French immersion are more open to new and innovative ways of pursuing goals, and have a more open knowledge of cultures and society due to an easier ability to communicate freely in a changing country.

Dyslexic, dysgraphic -- and bilingual!

Throughout elementary school, Adam Fraser attended École Frère Antoine, a single track immersion school in Edmonton. After extensive testing in Grade 9, he was assessed as being dyslexic with dysgraphia. He went on to graduate from École J.H. Picard School's French immersion program in 1996.

To read his story and others on the national CPF web site, click here and scroll down to "Adam Fraser."

Bilingualism has helped sculpt my future

This article was first published in the fall 2000 edition of the CPF Alberta & NWT News.  At that time Maria Baker was in grade 10.  

I had been in French immersion since kindergarten, but in grade 9 had to make a choice: go to the local high school in Morinville, where only one subject would be in French, or change schools and continue in a new town.

I chose to go to École Secondaire Sainte Marguerite d’Youville (essmy) in St.Albert because I wanted to continue developing my comprehension and fluency in French. I had heard that if students leave French immersion in grade 9, they soon forget the language. I wanted to finish what I started, and so I left my school and my friends to continue in immersion.

The students who stayed behind reasoned the busing was inconvenient, and they didn’t want to leave their friends.

During a trip across Canada last summer I learned how little out-of-the classroom French I knew. I was sure my accent was terrible, and I had trouble finding the right words. However, in old Quebec City, my dad put down his camera bag to take some pictures. Ten minutes later, he realized he had forgotten it. We rushed to the nearest lost and found, but the man didn’t speak English. With a simple "Il a perdu son sac de caméra" he handed it over. I was proud to be able to use what I knew.

While the French immersion program is noteworthy, a French immersion school like essmy is the best environment for practical learning. Almost every teacher is Francophone, inspiring students to expand their vocabulary, improve their grammar, and perfect their accents.

In essmy French is spoken by the entire staff. It is the language spoken in the gym, the library, the office, and sometimes in the cafeteria, unlike Anglophone schools, where French is spoken only in the classroom. essmy has increased my confidence and improved my French dramatically!

Bilingualism has given me many opportunities. This summer I was able to volunteer at a conference for the International Society for Music Education. I hope to take advantage of exchange programs and scholarships available to bilingual students. I plan to become a teacher in a French immersion school.

Bilingualism has many benefits, and has helped sculpt my future. It has inspired me to learn other languages as well. I can’t wait to see where it takes me next.

The following was written by Michelle Wilson in 2000.  She was then a French immersion student at St. Mary’s High School in Calgary.

N’importe qui pourrait vous dire que la connaisance d’une deuxième langue leur permettrait de communiquer davantage avec des gens d’autres pays ou à trouver un emploi avec rapidité. Je suis complètement en accord avec eux, mais personnellement, je sais qu’il y en a une autre raison pour laquelle la langue et la culture française sont importantes au Canada. ça consiste d’une expérience que j’ai eue il y a deux étés. Laissez-moi vous l’expliquée.

Je marchais avec mon ami sur la plage cet été. Nous avons juste passé un homme qui était assis dans le sable, et qui écrivait dans un carnet. Son sac à dos d’excursion lui accompagnait, aussi qu’un groupe d’adolescents le même âge que nous. L’homme semblait d’être le sujet de moquerie du group d’adolescents, car chaque fois que le groupe lui demandait une question, il ne répondait pas, et le groupe s’éclatait en rire. J’étais curieuse à savoir pourquoi l’homme ne répondait pas au groupe donc en passant, j’ai regardé brièvement ce qu’il écrivait dans son carnet. C’était en français! Il ne répondait pas car le group lui posait des questions en anglais, et l’homme connaissait seulement le français!

Sachant ceçi, nous sommes assis près de lui, et j’ai commencé à lui parler en français. Son visage est allumé en joie et familiarité. J’ai invité les adolescents à s’asseoir avec nous trois. Pour le restant de l’aprés midi, j’étais traductrice entre le group et l’homme. Le soir venu, le groupe nous a invité tous à leur joindre au feu de camp. Avec un sentiment d’amitié, nous avons échangé des traditions parmis cultures.

J’étais étonnée que j’étais la seule connaissante de deux langues, mais enchantée d’être capable d’utiliser mes connaissances pour unir deux cultures et deux langues; les deux langues officielles du Canada! L’unité est un sentiment incroyable. C’est pour cela que mon expérience serait une raison laquelle avoir des connaissances en français est vraiment bénéfique et valable au Canada.