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Mission
Statement
At FrenchForFun
we are committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for
individual academic growth and the appreciation of cultural diversity.
By fostering a sense of fun and adventure our students will discover
and develop language and cultural communication skills to empower
them as responsible global citizens.
We at FrenchForFun
want to encourage each child, each student, to be the best they
can be anywhere in the world. Comfortable with and sensitive to
foreign accents, tolerant of cultural differences, eager to conquer
and discover new lands, and meet new friends. The journey starts
at FrenchForFun,
and we thank you for the opportunity to guide the children and yourself.
FrenchForFun
is a happy place, where lots of learning takes place. We teach music,
math, history, geography, fine arts, grammar, cooking, dance...
and we call it FrenchForFun.
Using very little English in the immersion process, all our students
are engaged in learning using the French language. This method of
teaching language is referred to as content- based instruction.
Truly, we are the best at using this method. Our Fles*
students performed a skit on the discovery of the Lascaux caves,
while others illustrated their own storybook on the Montgolfier
brothers. Both of these units were kick off themes for la "
rentree" back to school, because both of these historical events
took place in France and in September. Why just memorize vocabulary
lists of classroom objects because its September? The words crayon,
règle, papier ect. were used again and again while we were
illustrating our units.
Because our students do not memorize vocabulary lists, certainly
does not mean that our students are less proficient. On the contrary,
our students participate in the National French Grand Concours
sponsored by the AATF, and year after year place within the top
five nation wide.
We believe that our young students can be introduced to French
as a second language in the same natural approach that they are
learning English. Parents and students, even the very young, realize
very quickly that there is much more to learn than language at FrenchForFun.
Learning French at FrenchForFun
is a very physical experience not just an academic exercise. Research
shows that the left hemisphere where the language center is located
is affected when the right hemisphere is stimulated. Please check
out our LINKS page for specific research
on this and other educational topics.
We at FrenchForFun
are deeply affected by the teachings of Maria Montessori and we
use her principles as a guiding light. We would like to quote the
following paragraph from "The Absorbent Mind" to demonstrate
our intent.
The Teacher's Preparation
The Absorbent Mind
The Clio Montessori Series
First Stage. The teacher becomes the keeper and custodian of the
environment. She attends to this instead of being distracted by
the children's restlessness. From this will come healing, and
the attraction that captures and polarizes the child's will....
All the apparatus is to be kept meticulously in order, beautiful
and shining, in perfect condition. Nothing may be missing, so
that to the child it always seems new, complete and ready for
use. This means that the teacher also must be attractive, pleasing
in appearance, tidy and clean, calm and dignified. These are ideals
that each can realize in her own way, but let us always remember,
when we present ourselves before children, that they are "of
the company of the elect". The teacher's appearance is the
first step to gaining the child's confidence and respect. The
teacher should study her own movements to make them as gentle
and graceful as possible. The child of this age idealizes his
mother. We may not know what kind of woman she is, but we often
hear a child say, when he sees a pretty woman, "How lovely
she is-just like my mummy!" Quite possibly the mother is
not all beautiful, but she is to the child, and everyone he admires
is, to him, as beautiful as she. So, care for one's own person
must form part of the environment in which the child lives; the
teacher herself is the most vital part of his world.
The teacher's first duty is therefore to watch over the environment,
and this takes precedence over all the rest. Its influence is
indirect, but unless it is well done there will be no effective
and permanent results of any kind, physical, intellectual or spiritual.
History
FrenchForFun
has been teaching families in the East Bay for over 25 years. It
was started by Catherine Jolivet Johnson as an after school program
in local public schools and became the learning center it is today
through the demand by parents for quality services in a unique environment
that supports the total immersion of the student in the cultural
experience. FrenchForFun
now conducts sessions at its own facility in Lafayette, Ca. where
children of all ages and their families, teens and adults can discover
the complete Francophone experience.
Bon voyage
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