We had always wanted to try leaving our European home behind. The only thing yet to be determined was the destination. We dreamed of China until my husband took the train to the Destination Canada forum, which takes place every year in Paris. As we listened to meetings and speeches, professional and personal desires began to blossom and we knew our search was over. We would fly across the Atlantic, working holiday visas in hand.
Having worked as an elementary school teacher for several years in France, I began the process of having my French teaching diploma recognized by Canada as early as possible, which was far from easy.
September arrived. The CSF, the Francophone Education Authority of B.C., offered me a substitute position, and I applied for an immersion job as well. I would begin the school with an immersion class of second-graders and switch to a kindergarten class in December.
When I began teaching, I was very impressed with the team’s cohesion and the management’s support. As soon as I arrived, they pointed me towards resources and allowed me to job-shadow in a classroom.
Solidarity in the school is at its height during gatherings with the pupils and staff in the gymnasium for events and celebrations like Valentine’s Day or Earth Day. These gatherings remind me of the cheerful Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties in France.
I was surprised by the strong investment made by the whole school community, as everybody gets involved and celebrates these special days by singing, dancing or sharing a text or poem. It was a pleasant surprise, even if I was really embarrassed during the first meeting: When everybody started to sing the national anthem, I was unable to pronounce a single word.
Unlike my memories of overwhelmed school principals who have to manage everything at the same time – pupils, parents, city hall, government inspectors – school here is like a big company with the principal at the top, a vice-principal as second-in-command and, finally, secretaries who deal with smaller tasks and keeping everything organized.
However, I do regret that there are no public school council meetings. In France, these take place several times throughout the school year and give an opportunity for parents, teachers and government representatives to meet in order to discuss ongoing projects and resolve any outstanding problems
In Canada, there is no race against the clock, no one yelling “we’ll never be able to finish the curriculum on time,” a refrain we used to hear from elementary school to university in France. Here, time is allowed. Thanks to my immersion in the educational system, I also realized that the teaching of different approaches to different situations and allowing time for meditation and thinking are, without a doubt, the source of the quiet and respectful temperament of Canadians.
Nonetheless, there are some really busy weeks in which I can hardly find enough time for the curriculum.
Since last December, I’ve been teaching kindergartners in immersion classes. After four months spent with 22 five-year-olds, I realized that their level of French was better than my level of English when I first arrived here. I envy that they have already mastered a foreign language at their age. A few years from now, they will enter the job market with a great edge. If only I had had such an education, I would not have dreaded parent-teacher meetings so much at the beginning of my time here, or have been nervous talking to the locals during my previous travels. Accent anxieties and my fear of mistakes clash with the easy franglais spoken by my pupils. We encourage them to speak French as much as they can, but if words are missing, they can pick from their mother tongue. The mix is comforting and the conversation just flows. This way, progress is quick and enduring. I am learning myself, and I am getting bolder. I occasionally risk some English translations, drawing big laughs from my pupils.
I did not expect this huge difference between the educational systems of two developed Western countries, but my work experience in Vancouver gives me the chance to learn, to criticize, to rethink and to expand my way of teaching day after day. My passion for immersion is so deep that I am getting more and more interested in teaching French as a Foreign Language, especially to young people. When I go back home, I will keep on practising what I learned here and will take the best from each country to perfect my teaching.
Translated by Anne-Sophie Loks
