Beth and Willy were in New York on February 1, 2 and 3, 2009 for the annual meeting of AFSA (Association of French Schools in North America), http://www.aefa-afsa.org/. This conference provides members with a wealth of valuable information on topics including: staff evaluation and compensation, AEFE updates, human resources, recruitment, financial planning- investments and cash flow, fundraising (annual fund, donations, events, grants & development), and this year particularly- the impact of the financial climate on our schools.
The conference was opened by Mme Kareen Rispal, Conseiller culturel de France à NY, who introduced M. André Ferrand, Sénateur des Français à l’étranger (Senator of French citizens abroad).
The opportunity to confer with our colleagues on all of these topics is invaluable. In attendance were the Heads of Schools, Curriculum Directors and Human Resource Directors from the other 40 French schools in America.
You will surely be interested in the information presented on bilingualism. A presentation of new research was made by Professor Mme Bialystock, of York University, Canada on the lifelong impact of bilingual education on brain development.
For example, recent findings indicate:
-Bilingual individuals have superior cognitive processing for their entire lives.
-Bilingual individuals resolve perceptual conflicts far better than do monolinguals.
-Bilingual individuals have superior brain executive functions.
-Bilingual individuals are less likely to be affected by dementia, and even if they do develop dementia, the onset occurs at a much later age.
In addition to the numerous and informative presentations, it is always useful to discuss day-to-day operations including topics such as: scheduling, school lunch, snacks, recess, teacher meetings, aftercare, etc. with other Directors, and to compare our experiences and get new ideas.
We find our schools, while in some ways very different one from another, all face similar challenges associated with running a private school in America. Furthermore, we share the added challenges (and benefits!) of operating these schools within multi-lingual environments. For example, we must consider visa requirements and limitations, culture shock, how to make the most of both French and American teaching methods, and we need to consider and support the cultural differences between the families we serve and the educators we employ.
The strength of our schools lies in these differences, and our concentrated efforts in the direction of harmony between the two cultures is what sets us apart and makes our educational opportunity so unique and rewarding.
The conference was opened by Mme Kareen Rispal, Conseiller culturel de France à NY, who introduced M. André Ferrand, Sénateur des Français à l’étranger (Senator of French citizens abroad).
The opportunity to confer with our colleagues on all of these topics is invaluable. In attendance were the Heads of Schools, Curriculum Directors and Human Resource Directors from the other 40 French schools in America.
You will surely be interested in the information presented on bilingualism. A presentation of new research was made by Professor Mme Bialystock, of York University, Canada on the lifelong impact of bilingual education on brain development.
For example, recent findings indicate:
-Bilingual individuals have superior cognitive processing for their entire lives.
-Bilingual individuals resolve perceptual conflicts far better than do monolinguals.
-Bilingual individuals have superior brain executive functions.
-Bilingual individuals are less likely to be affected by dementia, and even if they do develop dementia, the onset occurs at a much later age.
In addition to the numerous and informative presentations, it is always useful to discuss day-to-day operations including topics such as: scheduling, school lunch, snacks, recess, teacher meetings, aftercare, etc. with other Directors, and to compare our experiences and get new ideas.
We find our schools, while in some ways very different one from another, all face similar challenges associated with running a private school in America. Furthermore, we share the added challenges (and benefits!) of operating these schools within multi-lingual environments. For example, we must consider visa requirements and limitations, culture shock, how to make the most of both French and American teaching methods, and we need to consider and support the cultural differences between the families we serve and the educators we employ.
The strength of our schools lies in these differences, and our concentrated efforts in the direction of harmony between the two cultures is what sets us apart and makes our educational opportunity so unique and rewarding.
