By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
and Patricia Bogumil
Editor
What began as an idea to bring back French as a language taught at Fox River Middle School might morph into something even more progressive.
At a Policy and Curriculum Committee held Dec. 3, discussion about offering a second language besides Spanish at Fox River arose. The issue had been discussed by the committee last month, in response to a query from teacher Karen Morgan, who heads up the French language program at Waterford Union High School.
The latest idea being discussed would send a high school French teacher to Fox River twice a week, to support and enhance an online program the high school is considering using for the Fox River students.
Five years ago, Waterford Graded dropped French from its curriculum – a decision borne out of declining student interest and the departure of a teacher.
More recently, officials at the high school have inquired about foreign language instruction at the middle school level.
French instruction has been in decline at the high school, and some officials there have pointed to the lack of any French classes at Fox River as one possible reason. If a middle school student takes a foreign language, it is likely he or she will continue with the instruction at the high school.
This year, WUHS has two sections of French I, one section of French II and a combined section of French III and French IV.
Fox River Principal Darlene Markle said she has been meeting with staff at WUHS and having with them a very good conversation about French instruction throughout the Waterford educational community.
WGSD officials suggested Dec. 3 that other important world languages besides French might also be considered at Fox River.
School board president Dan Jensen, speaking as a member of the Policy and Curriculum committee, said the possibility of learning Mandarin Chinese or Arabic might be of interest to students and their parents.
“I think that would be awesome,” Markle commented. She called offering Fox River students the opportunity to learn Mandarin or Arabic as very progressive.
Markle was tasked with preparing a questionnaire to be sent to parents of the district’s sixth-graders to gauge interest in offering additional languages at Fox River besides Spanish.
But in addition to student interest, cost will also be a consideration.
At last month’s committee meeting, the board and administrators expressed concerns about costs.
“I don’t know how we could implement another language at this point,” board member Robert Kastengren said. One possibility discussed would entail offering the language through the Waterford Recreation Department – an entity overseen by Waterford Graded. The language could be offered during summer school.
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