Are you still unsure if you should put your child in the French Immersion program? Do you find the decision making process to be overwhelming? Well, whether you are considering sending them to a public or Catholic school in Ontario, here are a few guidelines to help you better decide:
1. Personality
What’s your child’s personality like? Are they a self starter? Are they open to change? Do they get bored easily? Do they give up easily? Now although most immersion programs in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) start in grade 1 or even as early as junior kindergarten, it is important to reflect on these questions being that from the very beginning your child will be in an unfamiliar space where everything will be different. They will be expected to listen, speak, read, and write in a different language so their personality will have an impact on how they embrace or reject this new environment and experience.
2. Overall Attitude Towards Learning
This one may be a tricky one to answer if you are considering putting your child in an immersion program that starts in junior kindergarten or grade 1, but how is your child’s overall attitude towards learning? Do they get excited, ask questions, or want to learn more? Or do they get angry, shy away, or shut down when presented with new information? Similarly to the point about behaviour, it is best to consider how they currently react towards learning something new in order to determine how they could react when placed in a new environment.
3. Your Readiness for the Journey
This point is all about you. How ready are you to be a parent, guardian, or caregiver who has a child in a program that is either fully or partially French from the very beginning? Do you speak and understand the French language? If not, no problem. However, are you prepared to pay for tutors throughout your child’s language learning journey? If so, great. However, please note that there are a few things to consider. For example, if your child struggles with grade 4 mathematics in French, they would need a tutor who specializes in elementary mathematics but whose services are also in French. Moreover, Ontario Certified Teachers tend to charge $50-80 per hour or more depending on their years of experience, so if your child is struggling in multiple subjects being taught in French, be prepared to pay for multiple tutors.
Ultimately, every child is unique, so what works for one may not work for another. This is why you must reflect on their personality, behaviour, attitude towards learning, and your readiness to support their language learning journey when making a decision about the French Immersion program.
With that said, if you need additional support, book a Pre-Enrollment Consultation with our expert French as a Second Language Consultant (FSL Consultant), as they will:
inform you of all the available FSL program options in your preferred school board,
provide you with comparisons of all existing programs in that school board,
explain the possible disadvantages for each program,
give you the opportunity to ask them questions afterwards, and
recommend one program based on your child’s specific situation.
Our consultation services are for the Durham, Halton, Peel, Toronto, and York regions and are done over the phone.
If you reside outside of our service area and would like a consultation for your child, kindly email us at support@fairesens.ca.
Not ready to commit just yet? No problem! Consider reading What are some disadvantages of the French Immersion program? or Does the French Immersion program guarantee more job opportunities? for additional support.
Written by Shana Baptiste-Iseyemi
FSL Consultant and Former French Teacher
Mrs. Baptiste-Iseyemi has 10 years of experience supporting students from diverse learning and linguistic backgrounds. She has taught in both the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the York Region District School Board (YRDSB). She has also lived, studied, and worked in Grenoble, France.
She has a Honours Bachelor of Arts in French Studies with a minor in Anthropology from York University. She also has a Bachelor of Education with a focus on French as a Second Language and General Social Sciences from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Finally, she has a Career Strategist Certification with a focus on career development, career planning, and career management from the Career Professionals of Canada.
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