Give the French school system a try

A lot of people tend to live and work in proximity to the place of their birth. That means many francophones and anglophones born in Quebec will stay in Quebec.

If oral and written proficiency in the French language is important to you, as English parents, for your children to have, consider giving the French school system a try.

The teachers and administrators in French schools are as competent, skilled, enthusiastic and compassionate as their colleagues in the English public education system.

The difference is the students learn French in a genuine immersion setting — French in the classrooms, hallways, lunchrooms and playing fields.

If your own French linguistic skill is a concern, the majority of staff, administration, and even students, are bilingual, and can help in English if needed.

If French proficiency is not important, then by all means, stay with the English public school system. Your kids will get a good education — in English.

But if you want your kids to interact and prosper in Quebec rather than live in an evershrinking xenophobic bubble, then give them the tools to achieve this.

Consider the French school system.

It’s not about politics, job security, or tribalism. It’s all about our kids. Martin Roloff, Notre-Dame-del’Île-Perrot