Before moving here in British Columbia, I had no idea how popular French Immersion was. In fact, I didn’t even know that people wanted to learn French. In Quebec, Anglophones are often presented as people who refuse to learn our language. Historically, it might have been true, but I am not so sure anymore. At least, I don’t think that this is so clear-cut. So whenever I hear people speak my language or express the desire to learn it in our country, I am beyond surprised and grateful.
Every time I have the chance to talk with students in French Immersion, I am always impressed by their motivation and the quality of French they speak. However, I sometimes hear the teachers complain that the real struggle is to motivate them to speak French in the class.
Two weeks ago, I was observing in an English class and the teacher told me that the table at the front is where all the French Immersion students sit. She told me that it can be pretty obvious because those students are often speaking French to each other in the English class. I have to tell you: that is a DELIGHTFUL thing to hear for a future French teacher! I was so excited hearing that. I thought to myself: wait… they choose to speak French to each other in an English environment? That is a win
So I waited for a moment when I could talk to them and I went straight to the French Immersion table. Because French is my first language and English immersion doesn’t exist in Quebec, I am always curious about the experience of going to school in French while you live in English.
I asked them if they liked French Immersion at Stelly’s and they told me that the program here is very strong. They also told me that they want to continue using French in their life after school. Some of them chose to learn French to travel, and others were already career focused. They thought it was a great asset for their future career. They also told me they loved it!
And then we proceed to discuss the intricacies of living and studying as a bilingual person. They explained to me how weird it can be to be studying French language in a sea of English. How they have to switch back and forth multiple times a day between the two languages. And how it can be a conscious effort, not a reflex or automated reaction.
One of them explained to me that it is almost like a folder system in her head. When she is in a French context for a while, she has to think about switching for the other language otherwise she keeps talking in French, and vice versa. She said that often she will take a second to recall the desired language folder and make a mental image of switching folders. It was fascinating to me! Since my life is mostly in English, I don’t have to do this exercise of switching language quite often. So this was very enlightening to me!
I loved having this conversation with this group of bright young people who appeared to be motivated and dedicated in school. They taught me so much about navigating the school system with two languages, and made me realize how this is a unique situation. They also gave me a great tool to support my students throughout their day. I will definitely think about them when beginning my class by asking my students to switch to the French folder. I might even tell my future students about this little conversation I once had at Stelly’s with French Immersion students!
