French as a Second Language

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The Status of Language Teachers

CASLT Provincial Networking Activity Day – November 7th, 2003

We were most delighted with the response. All provinces and territories were represented. We had invited two representatives from Quebec and New Brunswick as each of these provinces represents both ESL and FSL associations for the other official language. New Brunswick was represented by both language groups and Quebec’s ESL teachers were well represented by SPEAQ’s President. The group involved twenty-five participants, two facilitators, and observers from the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages as well as Canadian Heritage.

A working group from Ontario, new Brunswick and PEI

The purpose of the day was to discuss the status of language educators and their programs within and across the provinces, to identify common areas of support and concrete actions to be taken in support of these educators. It was an opportunity to share projects, ideas, best practices and to make connections with organizations of similar mandate and interests.

The process began by examining professional climate or status of language teachers, then to consider how these perceptions of status (high or low) affect our profession. We considered the change we would like to see for the future status of language educators and the different stakeholders needing to be targeted. These activities provided a useful baseline in developing common ground and in directing ideas towards concrete action based on partnerships and mutual sharing and support. Provincial working groups provided CASLT with suggestions for areas of focus, collaborative actions that could be taken as well as areas opportunities for continued engagement.

The participants worked very hard throughout the day – many personal connections were made, contact information exchanged, and considerations for future province to province initiatives established. We thank the individuals as well as the organizations for sharing their energy, their vision, and their excellent initiatives with us and we look forward to future opportunities to continue this important sharing process. As many participants asked, “I really appreciated this opportunity; can we do this again next year?”