French Corner by Dr. Nancy Le Nezet

The way we teach languages - especially French - is one of the points that differentiates SISQ from other international schools in Qatar. Although the primary teaching language remains English, French is given a prominent place in our curriculum. We knew that this focus on French would attract many children coming from francophone or multilingual families. However, I have still been pleasantly surprised by extent to which children are using French in school.

Last week, for instance, a Grade 8 student asked me to help him find his way around the school. He started in English, but quickly switched to French when he realised I was a French speaker. What struck me was that he seemed really proud to be able to speak French, and his friend was clearly impressed and envious. If using French is seen as a source of pride by our students, we are definitely heading in the right direction!

A few days later, as I was watching Grade 3 children in the play area, I observed a little girl who was constantly switching between English and French while playing with her friends. She knew perfectly well who could speak what language and was very lucky to master both languages herself.

I have visited a lot of international schools where there are so few French speakers that they quickly get submerged by the English language. I am delighted to see that SISQ is truly different: thanks to the number of francophone children, teachers, administrative staff and learning assistants, I have heard almost as many conversations in French as I have in English in the past two weeks, which has never been the case in my international career. Those conversations have just as much educational value as the French classes we offer: they show children that our language is useful and alive, which will increase their desire to learn it.