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Adjusting to Life in FranceThis is, of course, the primary concern of any parent introducing a non-French speaking child into the French education system. Not only have you whisked your child away from their friends and familiar routines you have brought them to a new country and a new home and now you are asking them to learn a new language so they can make friends and get at school! Moral supportLuckily unless you are in an extremely remote part of France you will almost certainly meet other expats who have been through the challenges before and can provide moral support and encouragement as you go along. With continuing numbers of foreigners arriving (especially from Northern Europe), teachers and administrators are becoming more familiar with non-French speaking children so your child will not be seen as a curiosity item. However the French are proud of their language and their traditions and not surprisingly French schools teach all lessons in French! In other words, you should not expect too many concessions – if the teachers speak some English and are willing to spend extra time with your child this should be seen as a bonus, not a typical arrangement. The earlier the betterGenerally, children starting early in primary school learn French quickly, are communicating well within a few months and are often reported to be "fluent" speakers within 6-12 months. This is very exciting and rewarding for everyone however it can of course bring about unforeseen challenges for parents whose brain cells are not absorbing a new language nearly as quickly as their kids. And unless you speak excellent French yourself you are not going to be in a position to judge for yourself just how fluent your child really is - there's a big difference between fluent chatter amongst playground friends and truly fluent use of the correct grammar, accents, and so on. Depending on your child's age and knowledge of French, you may find that they are asked to start school a year lower than their French speaking peer group. This is designed to speed the learning of French language (reading and writing) without the children being overtaxed by new concepts. This may also help with confidence generally as they should find the tasks they are set very easy to begin with. Starting in a lower year may not cause any reactions from a six year old but older children may hate the idea of going in with younger kids so some salesmanship may be required! Luckily there is a high degree of flexibility built into the French system so most children will find themselves placed in the right academic year once they are speaking and reading adequately. In some areas schools run free initiation classes which provide intensive language tuition for non-French speaking children – it may even be a requirement for some children wishing to enter secondary education. Teenagers take timeChildren over ten years of age take longer to adapt and learn a new language and although most progress and become fluent, they are unlikely to speak French as adults without some detectable accent. All children are different and will react to the new situation in different ways, however it may be worthwhile or necessary to arrange some out of hours tutoring to kick-start a slow-learner or just give a boost to older children. It is not usually too difficult to find language teachers by asking at the local Syndicat d'Initiative or at your school. Some parents moving to France with teenage children have opted to send their children to international bi-lingual schools initially before considering a move into the state system, but obviously such a move will depend on where you live and your finances. f you are planning a move to Franch for many months or years ahead, then you should try to ensure your child makes use of the time before moving to take extra French lessons, including conversation practice - this will pay off enormosuly when you do move. Outside schoolIdeally, children (and adults) should try to engage in local French life not just as a social outlet but in order to stretch children's language abilities in non-classroom and non-playground environments. This can be as simple as visiting the local shops, fetes or attending a sports or arts class where children must communicate in French. If you have access to both French and English language TV, it would be preferable to get your children to watch French language kids TV to help them pick up phrases and absorb kids culture. When young children are starting to learn French, some school teachers have advised parents not to try and speak French at home. This may seem counter-intuitive but has been suggested simply to avoid overloading the young brains after a day of French at school. Homework is a great opportunity not just for parents to help their child but to learn new words, expressions themselves and do exercises together. Source: WorldLanguage.com |
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by World Language
