Schools

Why Did 109 Suspend French Program?

Amid community protest, Deerfield District 109 suspends French program because of sagging interest and scheduling.

When the community embraced a block scheduling program for Caruso and Shepard Middle Schools in November as a way to create a more intimate relationship between students and teachers, no one realized incoming sixth graders would not be offered French.

The block scheduling program along with sagging interest in the subject and an added burden on teachers were given at the Deerfield Public Schools District Board of Education meeting Monday as reasons to suspend and study how best to teach foreign language.

Earlier: 109 Restructures Middle School Program

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A diminished interest in learning French was not obvious at the meeting are between 30 and 40 parents, students, former students and community members came to let the Board know their displeasure and ask for reinstatement. The decision was announced at the Nov. 15 Board meeting.

“We were taken aback not just by the decision but by the process as well,” group organizer Patricia Reese said referring to what she perceived as the suddenness of the action. “Don’t kill it and then study it. Reinstate it and study it.”

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Superintendent Renee Goier made it clear the program would be studied next year. She also held out hope there could be opportunities for children who wanted to learn French. “Perhaps there could be some kind of after school activity,” she said.

Neither Goier nor incoming Superintendent Michael Lubelfeld would make any commitment about the future. Lubelfeld did promise to immerse himself in the issue. “I expect to be fully briefed before I take over,” he said.

Block Scheduling Makes a Difference

Part of the reason for suspending French is the scheduling system which will be implemented for the 2013-14 school year. A four-hour block of the day will be devoted to math, science, English and social students with the students divided into two teams.

All other subjects, including foreign language, will be taught for 40 minutes. With all world language teachers at the two schools certified in French and Spanish, a teacher would be required instruct six different classes in one day to accommodate all levels of instruction.

“It’s a tremendous burden for our teachers,” Shepard Principal Michael Shapiro said. “One teacher can have four (of the same) social studies classes in one day,” he added comparing the difference for people instructing the same subject.

Another problem is the current enrollment in languages will not allow the District to guarantee a three-year program. “We want to make sure we can offer three years of French to incoming sixth graders,” Goier said. “We don’t know we can be sure that will happen.”

Middle School Program Helps Success at High School Level

Lou Ann Erikson, a French teacher at Deerfield High School told the meeting the District 109 program was essential to assure the success of the foreign language department at the secondary level.

“The reason we have success with the French program (at Deerfield High School) is because District 109 sends us such strong students,” Erikson said. She worries starting the subject in high school puts the student behind. “You cannot develop fluency to speak French (without it).”

At this time, Deerfield High School has 1,381 students enrolled in foreign language classes, according to Township High School District 113 Communications Director Natalie Kaplan. Of those, 1,085 take Spanish, 165 study French, 76 are learning Chinese and 55 are being taught Hebrew.

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