Opening French classrooms a hit

The story “A classroom makes all the difference for teacher”  (Simcoe.com) on the subject of opening previously closed classrooms, is probably one of my favourites for 2010.  Sometimes change take time to grab-hold and effects to be seen.  Excellent initiatives in differentiated learning that were started over the last three years, are just now showing significant impact in recently released EQAO results.  However, the opening of the locked classrooms for French, enabled in last June’s SCDSB budget, has resulted in an  immediate positive impact. This particular news story is a prime example of what can happen when parents, teachers and trustees work together.

This past spring school councils brought forward their concerns:  too many schools had closed classrooms, parents were frustrated and principals knew they needed extra space.  Cameron Street Public School asked for my help with this issue and the parents request made sense to me.

The reason for keeping the classrooms in cobwebs was given by board staff as a student numbers and funding issue.  Staff’s original cut at the budget  had maintained closures of rooms to save on cleaning staff time and utilities.

To me, it didn’t add up; the costs were negligible and the use to the students and teachers immense.  Opening a classroom in as many schools as possible allowed for an important subject French, to be treated with respect.  It also allowed for the classroom that was freed up when students attended French class, to be used for a wide variety of other uses.

This week Cameron Street Public School’s French teacher Marcie Colbourne and Tracey Piché Johnson Street Public School  ( Barrie) are interviewed in the Metroland papers. Clearly their opinion is that this has been a successful initiative.  They aren’t alone,  I also met with a number of elementary teachers during school visits  this past week, that were equally pleased. In addition, I have also heard from school councils and they are telling me they really like the change.

I am  happy to have been a lead on this initiative. I think this is evidence that common-sense budgets that put money back into the schools, rather than topping up administration, is the direction we need to continue to pursue.

A classroom makes all the difference for teacher”  (Simcoe.com) Sept. 19. 2010

Immersion – even for a short time – is critical to students learning a language, she said. They need to see the language in action and the visual prompts which are so critical in reading, math and science play a role just as significant in French, agreed Colbourne, who had a room of her own a decade ago when she taught for the Peel Region board.

“I want students to experience and feel like they’re walking into another country. On the first day, I welcomed them to France, where French surrounds them. I found French music to play during class. I want them to experience another culture and another place.”

So with common expressions on one wall, students can find the basic phrases they’d need to start, and carry on, a conversation, she noted.

Colbourne, meanwhile, has created a literacy wall – a provincial requirement to promote literacy – at Cameron Street Public School in Collingwood.

Full-story

Backgound Past Post

Budget Debate – Opening Closed Classrooms