30 - Friday, Febr PRES a hether or not lo take the plunge into French immersion is often an ago- nizing decision that parents make for their children. PORES A PSEC “TS PN By Maureen Curtis Similarly, two classes of tiny West Vancouverites began their ability lo count from an to dix, At first, the teacher repeats each French phrase with its English counterpart, or uses whatever method necessary to make sure the children don’t get too confused. But by Grade 1 or 2, most of what you hear, when you put your ear ta the classroom doar, is French, For many parents, French Immersion starts with a dream and a leap of faith. The dream is to enable their child to communicate fuently and comfortably in another lan- puage without the struggle many of us experienced trying to con- jugate French verbs and wrap our tongues around awkward sounds at the high school level. This dream is harbored by parents who did poorly at for- eign languages at school as well as those who got As and still felt foolish when they tried their textbook phrases out on a suspi- cious francophone. Some parents will have heard that growing up bilingual helps a person to acqttire other new fan- guages much more easily. Others will have come fram bilingual families and are already aware of how easily young children pick up lan- guage. Then there are the practical considerations: the knowledge that many government positions require bilingual ability (perhaps more a motivating factor in cen- tral Canada) and the desire for some kind of enriched education for one’s children Ghat you don’t have to pay extra for). The !eap of faith is believing in the people who tell you that your child’s competency in English will not suffer — nor _ their ability to function in other subjects and compete for post education at Pauline Johnson, the municipality’s all-French school, where even the janitor and secretary converse in the language. Usually, they have no more preparation than perhaps the Last fall, approximately 170 sels of North Vancouver parents made the decision to send their kindergaretners off to be immersed in Canada’s other offi- cial language. THE GAME OF LIFE’S WORK individual Career Planning Services for High School, College, and University Students Career Strategies Programs for Adults Seeking to Renew Their Career Direction or Return to the Workforce Career Transition Programs for Adults Seeking a Career Change Job Search Strategies For The New Economy DORIS A. BENTLEY CAREER CONSULTING SERVICES TELEPHONE: 983-9542 NEWS photo Nell Lucente. STUDENTS AT Larson elementary schoo! celebrated 25 years cf French Immersion in 8.C. with a week-long French Canadian carnaval. Activities included building an ice castle, the arrival of Bonhomme the snowman, singing, dancing, and a parade. Initial Consultation at No Charge One Block from Lonsdale Quay * Seabus Parents have been warned about the delay in reading, par- ticularly in English (which is secondary education. ‘That faith is tested in Grade 1 or 2, when your friends’ kids are able to read and yours are stil! acquiring a French vocabulary. See Parents page 31 SERVICE Ran by teachers, for teachers This message is for the s ecial and their students issue of the North Shore News published in conjunction with ‘school career days’. - With the way the economy is constantly changing perhaps we all need career days.. Once upon a time in the middle ages, folks were born into a particular line of work and did that work as long as they lived. With the industrial revolu- tion a few more choices and oppor- tunities became available but there was still the notion of permanence. Today no one thinks of a job as being permanent. Just like the old blacksmiths, today’s jobs can dis- 736-1772 (Lower Mainland) 736-0178 David Schreck, MLA (North Vancouver Lonsdale) | | (Fax) Legislative Office: appear. It takes strong people to cope with that uncertainty. As any bridge builder can tell ou, strength comes not from eing hard and fixed but by being flexible. Being able to sway in the wind and adapt can be a sign of strength. A good education is like a tool that can help you to adapt. It doesn’t train you for a lifetime job. It equips you for a lifetime of change. Parliament Buildings Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X4 Phone: (604) 356-3003 Community Office: 140 B Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver V7M 2E8 Phone: (604) 986-2254 A non-profit sactety, established in 1983. Over 500 qualified teachers available fur one-to-one tutoring, All subjects, all grades.