Dear editor,
An article published on Dec. 22 about French immersion missed the most important point: we are very fortunate, here in Jasper, to have choices.聽 It really is a privilege to be able to choose from three different programs. It can also be an overwhelming choice for parents. Deciding a path for your child鈥檚 education, when your child is only four years old, is no small task. Parents deserve access to balanced and accurate information to support making that decision. Every child is different and every family鈥檚 needs are different.
As a small town, we need to support each other鈥檚 decisions and work together to maintain a strong and vibrant school community. Focusing on numbers and stats without context, misses the reality. The stats for Jasper Junior/Senior High School, for example, shows an increase in French immersion (FI) students (96 in 2015 vs. 88 in 2014) not a decrease as stated. These numbers are very positive considering they include Jasper鈥檚 first FI grads. The decrease referenced is because many students don鈥檛 continue in FI after grade 9. With total numbers in the high school small to begin with, it is difficult to offer more than two courses in French at the high school level.
We are also very fortunate to have a variety of programs in this community to support all three programs with homework help, parental support and extracurricular learning opportunities. This includes the public library programs, Community Outreach Services, the Right to Read Society and specifically for French learning, the local chapters of Canadian Parents for French and ACFA, and likely others I have missed.
For those parents with kindergarten registration on the horizon, there is no wrong choice. You start your child on the path that you feel is right. The path may, and can, change but that too is your choice. Just remember, some children will thrive in the school system as it currently is, others will not, regardless of what program they are in. The best you can do is help ensure supports are in place, and work toward the changes you want to see.
Shelley Bird
