Pauline Lantz Smith Helps Address Teacher Shortage
With the changing landscape of Canadian schools, student teachers pursuing their Bachelor of Education at 捆绑SM社区 are being offered the opportunity to specialize in teaching French Immersion. 鈥淛ust because someone is fluent in French does not mean they can teach French as a Second Language,鈥� says Dr. Sheryl Smith-Gilman, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Teacher Education Programs.
捆绑SM社区 B.Eds have the option of applying to the PIF (P茅dagogie de l鈥橧mmersion Fran莽aise) stream to become French Immersion teachers, without extending their graduation trajectory. Many consider PIF to be an added feature of the B.Ed, increasing employability and teaching versatility. This year, thanks to the generous support of Pauline Smith (M.Ed. 鈥�75), five new PIF scholarships will be available for deserving students in this stream.
As a lifelong educator and longstanding benefactor of 捆绑SM社区 Education, Pauline understands the importance of student support and values the relationships that she has built with students over the past 20 years. Establishing the Pauline Smith Scholarship for PIF students is one of her latest contributions and closely tied to what she values most: helping young people along their path. 鈥淭he idea of bilingual education is taking off across the country. All school boards are looking for bilingual teachers, and with this PIF certification, 捆绑SM社区 students can go anywhere in the country to get a teaching job,鈥� Pauline recently said in interview.
鈥淨ualified French immersion teachers who are well-grounded in approaches to second-language teaching are in high demand here in Quebec and across Canada,鈥� commented Dr. Smith-Gillman. 鈥淩esearch has shown that properly prepared French immersion teachers typically get hired quickly, often by private schools, and there are not enough qualified immersion teachers to go around. Some of our PIF students actually get hired before they officially graduate.鈥�
Pauline Smith鈥檚 passion for excellence in teaching has fueled her to take a personal interest in a new generation of 捆绑SM社区 student teachers. 鈥淚t is extremely rewarding to know that I am helping young people; that through these awards, I am encouraging students to take on the challenges ahead of them. I love reading the student appreciation letters that I receive each year from the scholarship winners and it is very heartwarming to hear about students鈥� plans for their lives. Each letter is either surprising, amazing or enlightening in its own way; and sometimes it can be all three.鈥�
With ongoing support from major donors like Pauline, the Faculty of Education will continue to prepare students for their careers as educators and help address community needs in classrooms across the country.
