I'm from a small community in northwestern Ontario and I moved to Castlegar with my family in 2006 and the people who live here really care about this area. This isn't just a place to come and consume. This is a place to come and fully immersed and enjoy. When I moved to British Columbia and became a teacher here, one of the things that I was seeking first was a community and living in a rural location, sometimes you can feel isolated. As a French immersion teacher, I think it's important for people working in a French immersion program to remember that you're not alone. When you teach in a second language program in a minority context like we do in British Columbia, it's important to remember that you are part of the community of support and the support is there for you.
La diversité des environnements, de la mer à la montagne, offre une expérience unique, que je n'ai jamais vu ailleurs. Malgré le stress du déménagement, surtout en venant de l'autre côté du globe, en tant que professeur, j'ai vite constaté que la vie ici en valait la peine. Cinq ans plus tard, je ne regrette pas ce choix. L'enseignement en immersion est exceptionnel avec des élèves incroyablement motivés, choisis par passion pour apprendre dans leur langue seconde. C'est une audience parfaite pour les enseignants. Le soutien du gouvernement se traduit par des ressources abondantes, encourageant des projets variés, des sorties culturelles, et une approche vivante de l'enseignement, soutenue par une commission scolaire engagée.
I've been teaching French core and French immersion in Northern B.C. for the last seven years since I graduated. There's like no place in comparison to B.C. The outdoor scenery and the living culture, there's no way I can move. Learning a second language is definitely not easy. It's a huge challenge for a lot of students, but when they have that moment of understanding, it really motivates them. We were pretty nervous about making the move up to northern B.C. For us, we really like the slower, more relaxed feel of living in a small town complete with a rich culture and the diversity. There's very strong indigenous populations living in the community, and we are fortunate to learn so much, especially with truth and reconciliation being such a big part of school curriculums.
Quand j'ai déménagé du Québec vers la Colombie-Britannique j'ai bougé à travers la province, de Victoria, Vancouver et Fernie. Maintenant je suis rendu à Vancouver en tant qu'administrateur scolaire. On est vraiment tous rattachés à la langue française, donc quelque part on partage toute cette francophonie-là. Alors la communauté, elle est très très très accueillante. Qu'on soit justement au Nord de la Colombie-Britannique à Terrace ou à Fernie les communautés essaient de s’aider, se supporter lorsqu'on a une nouvelle enseignante par exemple à l'école.
I'm originally from the Okanagan. I've been teaching for two and a half years and I'm currently teaching at John Stubbs in the Sooke School District. I have a very active lifestyle. Sooke is amazing for having this sort of playground and having the ability to get into nature so easily. And so being able to get into the forests and onto beaches It does good for the soul, honestly. I find that the B.C. curriculum allows me to be as creative as possible. It allows me to be able to mesh all of the subjects into something new and innovative. And I see a lot of young teachers doing the same. It's encouraged in B.C. You'll see teachers that that they're doing science, but they're also working on math, and they'll be doing socials, but they'll also be doing English.
