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Inspiring the Next Generation of French Language Teachers

Inspiring the Next Generation of French Language Teachers

Accomplishments of Christian Laforge and Amanda Dion-Groleau, Baccalauréat en éducation graduates.

(November 22, 2023) - Many of us can think back to our school-age years and remember a moment where a teacher inspired us. 

The science teacher who tapped into your curiosity about the universe. 
The business teacher who showed you how to be your own boss. 
The English teacher who introduced you to a joy for reading. 

All of these moments were created by individuals who are passionate about teaching. Christian Laforge and Amanda Dion-Groleau, graduates from one of Laurentian University’s French language teaching programs, Baccalauréat en éducation (consécutif), are two of these passionate people.

Christian Laforge is currently a high school teacher in Timmins. His passion for teaching was only discovered once he became an active member of the Laurentian community. In 2014, Christian moved to Sudbury from his hometown of Grand Falls, New Brunswick to obtain his Masters in Experimental Psychology from Laurentian. 

Upon completion of his degree, Christian began his first teaching position as a lecturer within Laurentian’s psychology department. Through five years of teaching at the university level, Christian took on many additional roles around the Laurentian campus, including positions with Academic Advising and with Liaison. “My interactions with future students was a big motivator for me to enroll in a Bachelors of Education to be able to work with high school students,” said Christian.

Upon graduation, Christian was fortunate to have two full-time offers to choose from. “In both cases, the French teaching program helped me secure those positions so quickly, even to the point where I had options, which was incredible. Looking at the data, it appears that teaching in the French language has a high hireability right now,” he said.

As Co-Director of Shad Canada’s Laurentian University chapter, a not-for-profit organization who equip youth to tackle social and economic challenges via STEAM and entrepreneurial lens, Christian is still an important contributor towards campus life. “I had a great journey and enjoyed my time at the university very much. I feel like my education from Laurentian prepared me for what I needed to know to become a teacher.”

Amanda Dion-Groleau is another example of a passionate educator. Currently she is teaching French to Canadian government employees through a virtual format in her hometown of North Bay. She studied at Laurentian to obtain a Bachelor of Arts with a specialization in Psychologie in 2016 and a Baccalauréat en éducation (consécutif) in 2018.

“Never had I thought I would be teaching adults virtually with my degree but it’s been great. It is not where I would have predicted my career to lead me, but life gives you opportunities and you have to take them. I like where my path has taken me,” she said.

Due to Amanda’s ample experience in the classroom during her placements, which included unit planning and teaching four different grade levels, she was well equipped to teach French after graduation. Although her degree was aimed at educating younger students, Amanda learned crucial differentiation skills to design creative and engaging lessons that even her adult audience benefits from.

Educating her students to become fluent in French is a passion for Amanda. “I am proud of my language and culture. It is important for me to keep teaching in French because I like being able to share my language with more people. I want to encourage people to learn French through welcoming environments with engaging lessons,” Amanda said.

Looking forward, Amanda hopes to work towards becoming a pedagogical advisor, a role that will find her educating other French teachers how to structure lessons in more engaging and differentiated ways.

Laurentian University hosts Canadian high school students for bilingual, tricultural summer program

Laurentian University hosts Canadian high school students for bilingual, tricultural summer program

Shad Canada partnership equips youth to tackle challenges via STEAM-based solutions.

(July 28, 2022) - Fifty-six grade ten and eleven Canadian high school students have been keeping busy on Laurentian’s campus, participating in Shad Canada’s twenty-seven day program from July 3rd through July 29th. Laurentian University is one of twenty-one host universities across the nation in partnership with Shad Canada, a not-for-profit organization who equip youth to tackle social and economic challenges via a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) and entrepreneurial lens.

“We have students participating in this year’s program from nearly every province,” said Christian Laforge, program co-director, Shad Laurentian. “This year’s cohort is a very talented and diverse group. Some are provincially or nationally ranked athletes, others are well versed musicians, or national science fair winners.” For many of these students, this is their first time being away from home for such a lengthy period of time.

Shad students (referred to as ‘shads’) immerse themselves fully in the program by living in residence on Laurentian’s campus. Shads follow a carefully planned schedule of activities that finds them attending academic lectures and workshops, participating in canoe trips and camping adventures, and engaging in Indigenous teachings, thanks to Laurentian’s tri-cultural identity. This July, eighteen out of twenty-one Shad Canada partnering institutions offered the Shad program, and Laurentian is the only institution that offered a bilingual experience. 

While educational and cultural enrichment via a STEAM and entrepreneurial lens is central to Shad Laurentian, so is the promotion of a sense of community. This kept in mind, Shads benefitted from visits across Greater Sudbury, including to Collège Boréal, Cambrian College, Dynamic Earth, Science North, NOSM University, and even a local farmer’s market. A grant from the City of Greater Sudbury’s Event Support Fund, through the Tourism and Culture department, helped subsidize some of Shad Laurentian’s programming, developed around the theme of wellness. 

“The City of Greater Sudbury and Sudbury Tourism are proud to support this program that provides a transformative learning journey for students from across Canada,” said Mayor of Greater Sudbury, Brian Bigger. “The Shad program provides a unique experience unlike any other, allowing students to learn about STEAM and entrepreneurship while exploring the surrounding learning environment here in Greater Sudbury.” Mayor Brian Bigger visited the University’s campus in July, to meet Laurentian shads.

While Shad Laurentian 2022 wraps up this week, today, Shads have the opportunity to showcase what they’ve learned and enjoyed most about the program through an Open Day of activities. 

“This is a fantastic group of young people. Over the last three weeks we’ve watched them explore their own interests in the STEAM fields, work as teams, ask questions, and come up with solutions. Their energy and enthusiasm is contagious,” said Shad Laurentian co-director and Full Professor at Laurentian University, Dr. Thomas Merritt.

Shad Laurentian anticipates many future years of success through partnership with Shad Canada. Not only does the program offer a unique educational opportunity to high school students who may be interested in the pursuit of future studies at the University, the program also employs several current and former Laurentian students.

“Shad Canada is thrilled to have Laurentian University join our complement of in-person program offerings in 2022. We are excited for the exceptional tri-cultural experience they are offering our pan-Canadian participants!” - Leanne O'Donnell, Director, National Programs, Shad Canada.

For those interested in future opportunities through Shad Laurentian, please contact Christian Laforge at christian.laforge@laurentian.shad.ca or Dr. Thomas Merritt at thomas.merritt@laurentian.shad.ca.