John+Hanson



=John Hanson French Immersion =



=__Teacher Portfolios __=

Shawna Berry

Souley Dounda

Alphonse Talon

Sarah Thomas

=__Participating Administrator's Project __=

Dr. Lysianne Essama media type="file" key="Francophonie_2009_1Essama.wmv"

Reflection about STEP and my project: At John Hanson French Immersion School, students are taught the curriculum in French starting in Kindergarten. The staff comes from 15 different countries, meaning 14 others than USA. This implies that most of us have not been educated and/or trained in USA. Particularly, those who received a “French education” (in France or in most of the Francophone African countries) have not been exposed to a computer/technology education. I am in my second year as the principal of this wonderful school and during these 2 years I have heard the same comments: first, we do not have enough resources in French to teach the curriculum and second, we need more computer trainings. Having been accepted in the STEP program is an easy way to reach both objectives. We have started this year by providing regular basic trainings to our staff on Power Point, Excel, and Microsoft words specifically aimed toward French Immersion needs. I have personally trained the staff on using their new experience to develop material in French. 8 to 10 teachers have attended all trainings. They are now developing Power Point presentations in sciences and social studies to complement their teaching. One of our teachers (sixty something years old, 20 years in the program, fearful of technology one year ago) is now regularly using a document camera for the benefit of her kindergarteners. She shared with me earlier this year that she was finding new interest and happiness in her work and was eager to share lots of new ideas for her grade level. We have lots of projects for our program and the staff is ready to learn and develop. Last Friday, we celebrated our cultural diversity through “la journee de la francophonie”. Multiples photos were taken during this successful event. I used mine to realize a digital camera project, part of the STEP 1 requirements. I have sent the project to the staff and asked for feedback. I received one general comment: “Wonderful! How did you do that? We want to learn.”…and it is so easy to teach. The whole STEP1 experience has been rewarding. The support that the team has received has made it very useful. How many times have we received training that we have put in a drawer as soon as back to school? By giving us the opportunity to use and to share what has been learned very fast, we have found the process painless and enjoyable. I cannot wait for STEP 2. Thank you team!

Dr. Lysianne Essama Principal John Hanson French Immersion School

__Trainers __
Renee Henderson Hugh Jessell