Stephenson Elementary School

Before enrolling our daughter in 3rd grade, we specifically asked whether a child with no French background could succeed at ILA. We were assured that she could and were encouraged to enroll.Unfortunately, our experience was very different.We repeatedly tried to contact our daughter's teacher, Françoise Coulon Lantz, to ask how we could support a beginner French learner at home. Communication did not occur until I showed up in-person requesting a meeting. During that meeting, she described our daughter as not knowing her purpose at school and acting "goofy." She then said many students had French-speaking parents, grandparents, or connections to France and asked, "What do you have?"As multilingual immigrants, this was surprising. I speak four languages and my husband speaks seven. We have never been asked to justify learning a language based on ancestry or cultural ties. We believe language education should be open to all children.Our daughter became afraid to ask questions, felt singled out at snack time, and excluded from classroom activities shared with parents in group chat. She was also expected to request restroom permission in French despite being a beginner, which often left her afraid to speak up!We also had concerning interactions with Pierre Burthey, who said families typically attend ILA due to French cultural ties or the ability to afford private school, then asked which applied to us. He also suggested our daughter might be better suited for public school.The impact on our daughter was significant. By the end of the fall term, she was anxious about attending school and often resisted going. We withdrew her. After winter break, the school created an individualized plan with other teacher replacing Françoise, and she thrived—regaining confidence and enjoying learning again.After three month, we were told by Pierre of his decision: our daughter is required to return to Françoise's class despite her distress. When we raised concerns, we felt dismissed and withdrew her that day.We are grateful to Valentin Raclot, Scott Murphy, Beatriz Ruiz, Valérie Rogers, Daour Mboup, Marc Bescond, Bayel Sarr, and Colin Labelle for their professionalism, kindness, and support. However, our overall experience at the 3rd–5th grade level was overwhelmingly negative. Families with children entering French immersion without prior experience should carefully consider whether this environment is the right fit. For our family, it was a nightmare!