Does this scenario sound familiar to you? It is November and you have just finished hiring two new French immersion teachers in long term positions. The school district is supporting them, but as this is later in the year, the new teacher program is already in place. You notice that one of the teachers is speaking a lot of English in the classroom despite speaking French well. The other teacher seems to lack confidence in planning. You are a very busy person and not very confident in speaking French, but understand that if the teachers do not feel supported, they may leave.
It has been clearly established that there is a recruitment and retention issue for French teachers across Canada. As a result, many boards focus on recruitment strategies in an attempt to meet the growing needs for French language instructors. Website reviews, hiring practices, and other strategies are indeed crucial supports to ensure that the individuals who want to become teachers are able to find all of the information they need in order to apply. In an environment of increasing competition to find qualified instructors, what can we, as school administrators, do to keep and help the professional development of French teaching staff? If 100 teachers are hired, but only 40 remain after 3 years, the problem will never be resolved. As school administrators, there are crucial short and long term actions that can be taken in order to support the retention of French Immersion teachers.
Immediate High Yield Actions
Overall, there are a few key practices that need to be put in place for any new French teacher in order to begin to ensure a smooth transition into your building. Here are five suggested actions that will make a difference:
- Talk with the teacher. Commit to sit down with the new hire for a few minutes to introduce yourself and the new hire to the board and to their new school. These precious few introductory moments are the cornerstone to building a relationship with the individual.
- Take the teacher on a tour of the school. Ensure that they have met key teachers that they will be working with. These conversations will reinforce to the school community that you value the French program and in turn, the role of the new French Immersion teachers.
- Carefully select a mentor, who is ideally a French immersion teacher. This is an important relationship for the new teacher. In order to support this relationship, the “Guide d’accueil pour les nouveaux enseignants/A Welcome guide for new teachers” is
a wonderful resource from l’Association canadienne des professionnelles de l’immersion (ACPI). Written by French immersion teachers, it offers tips from new and experienced teachers, solutions to eight frequent situations new teachers face and plenty of resources to explore new strategies.
- Ask the teacher about the resources they will be using. It is also an opportunity to ask which resources they are lacking and seek ways to obtain those resources that will help them develop their practice.
- Ensure the new teacher is aware of the supports that exist in the board/ school district including the name of the person at the district level that has responsibilities for French. Make contact with the French Immersion consultant/coordinator so they know that there is a new immersion hire in your school.
Long Term Actions:
Relationship Building
Relationship building is key to any retention strategy. “School leaders who build and sustain trusting, collaborative relationships with teachers directly influence teacher learning and efficacy.” Ontario Public School Board Association (OPSBA) This can look like many smaller actions over a longer period of time. All of the suggestions in this section build on the fact that creating positive working relationships with French teachers in their schools will lead to higher retention overall.
Valuing the French Program: Day-to-Day Decision Making
It goes without saying that one of the biggest motivators to remain in a school is the support of the school administrator in day-to-day situations. When they feel valued, and they see the school leader making decisions that positively affect the program, their stress levels drop and wellbeing improves. They feel that if things become difficult, they can rely on the principal to have their back. How is this achieved? Ask yourself what you portray when dealing with the following situations:
- Conversations with parents
- Decisions to support the retention of students in immersion programs
- Budget actions
- Timetabling
- New teacher support
- Professional development opportunities
Remember those two new teachers in the scenario at the beginning of this article? They will witness the decision making. Ensuring that you are keeping French teachers in your day-to-day decision making will demonstrate to all the teachers in the building that you value the program and its teachers.
Modeling a Growth Mindset for Language Learning
Try speaking French with the immersion teacher and their students. Modeling one’s own commitment to French speaking and learning is a way to show that you value the immersion program. Taking the risk to use the French that you know in day-to-day situations models for teachers and students that mistakes are part of learning a language and encourages them to do the same.
Offering Support through Professional Development
Notice a problem of practice? Ask your French consultant about any upcoming support that exists in the board. Have a conversation with the teacher asking how you might assist. There are many national and provincial websites that offer online support for French teachers. Consider offering a membership to one! Provide constructive feedback that reinforces the positive aspects of their teaching practice while supporting areas for growth.
Classroom Visits
Despite the day to day busyness of the school administrator, it is imperative to schedule time in your day to visit classrooms. Take time to visit the teacher’s classroom outside of any type of evaluation while ensuring the teacher understands that you are “Checking in because you want them to be successful”. This is one of the most important actions for the retention of French teachers. It is seen as a key step into understanding what is happening in the classroom, who the students are and how they are acting in the classroom; in short, it demonstrates that you know and value the teacher’s time and efforts. However, it is also an opportunity for the principal to know the teachers’ practice in order to preempt any possible issues and help the development of the staff member.
But what if I do not speak French? What resources exist to help me?
Regardless of the school administrator’s proficiency in French, administrator training and overall experience to date will sufficiently equip school leaders to enter classrooms and recognize effective pedagogical practices. That being said, there are many resources available to support ongoing conversations that build relationships. French immersion “Look-for documents” such as those found on the administrator portion of the ACPI website offer key observable actions to guide leaders as they observe practice in immersion classrooms. This administrator zone is designed to support school principals particularly those who do not speak French with resources that all focus on the retention of French immersion teachers. Having these quick and easy strategies are part of the multifaceted approach required to begin to address the challenges related to the retention of French immersion teachers across Canada.
Bibliography
Association canadienne des professionnels de l’immersion: Administrator Zone https://www.acpi.ca/whats-on-your-desk/#666
Ontario Public School Board Association 2023 Compendium of Evidence-informed Strategies and Practices to Support School Administrators with FSL Programs. https://fslresources.opsba.org
By: Kara Bowles is a retired principal from Bluewater District School Board and has worked for the Ontario Ministry of Education. Currently she is a consultant for several provincial and national associations.
