>. The exogamous families’ page

Parenthése

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But | don’t parler francais!

“Why would you send your chil-
dren to a French school?”, my
neighbour inquired some four
years ago when we were first decid-
ing on schooling. “We live in BC! They
need good English and maybe an
Asian language.” Admittedly, similar
sentiments had already been echo-
ing in my mind, and if it weren't for the
chain of events that occured at that
crucial time—namely, being put on the
waitlist for another school and meet-
ing the principal of the local French
school during the Langley schoolboard
strike—perhaps | wouldn't be writing this
article today. If | had attended one of
the ExTeam workshops offered by the
BC Francophone Parents Federation
(FPFCB), however, my decision and
doubts thereafter would have been re-
solved much sooner.

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ExTeam workshops? Yes, if is the
Exogamous Families’ Team which
provides workshops geared for the
non-francophone parents of children
who are current or potential students
of the Conseil Scolaire Francophone,
BC's French school board. Think that
group is a minority? According to Sta-
tistics BC, 78% of children eligible for
French education (cf. section 23 of the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Free-
doms) come from a mixed franco-
phone and non-francophone home.
For this reason, the FPFCB in 2002 gath-
ered a feam of four facilitators, all non-
francophone parents of children in the
French system, to lead workshops for
others in this position who may have
similar questions and concerns.

The October 2008 issue of Parenthe-
se outlined what an ExTeam workshop

involves. It is essentially an opportunity
to learn about the benefits of a French
education and of bilingualism gener-
ally; to reflect upon your role in your
child(ren)’s education; and to connect
with ofher parents who may share the
same experiences and struggles, in-
cluding the facilitator her/himself. The
members of the ExTeam come from
diverse backgrounds—one is a single
parent (homework help? Yikes!); an-
other, fhe parent of a child adopted
from overseas (whose respective cul-
tural heritage also needs to be pre-
served); and then there is me, a mother
of six who can observe how different
temperaments and aptitudes play out
in the process of language acquisition.

If you are reading this article, and
sense any of these emotions: curiosity,
discouragement, fascina-
tion, etc., it may indicate your need
to contact your PAC, or the FPFCB
directly, and request for a workshop
to be offered at your school. | can as-
sure you that the Federation has the
utmost regard for the welfare of non-

frustration,

By Jean Kim-Butcher,
ExTeam facilitator, FPFCB

francophone parents; creating the
ExTeam speaks for itself. The trainer
for the ExTeam, Glen Taylor, while him-
self the non-francophone spouse in his
household, is nonetheless a proficient
and passionate advocate for French
education. He has even written an ex-
cellent guide fo exogamy entitled Fu-
sion (N.B. yours free when you attend
an ExTeam workshop!). The resources
available, and the commitment of the
FPFCB in supporting the parents of the
children in the French schools give us
hope that we are not alone in caring
for our children’s learning.

FUSION

Pour en savoir plus ou pour commander FUS/ON, contactez ia Fédération des parents
francophones de C.-B. au 604-736-5056 ou sans frais au 1-800-905-5056. Prix : 18$ + frais d’envoi.