French students with HOD of French Mrs O'Leary and AFS exchange student from France, Bianca Quichard (second from right)
Learning French plays a valuable part in the education of young New Zealanders. Citizens of New Zealand are also citizens of the world. We need to be aware of the importance of international languages, such as French, in relation to culture and cultural exchanges, literature, music, science and technology, and trade and tourism.
The French language is used widely throughout the world, both as a first and as a second language. It is spoken by over two hundred million people in more than forty different countries. By learning French, young New Zealanders can:
- broaden their understanding of people and their languages and cultures;
- develop skills, attitudes and understandings that will help them to learn other languages;
- learn more about their own first language through becoming aware of how it resembles, and differs from, the French language;
- become confident in communicating with native French speakers about personal and cultural issues, trade, travel, tourism and other areas of mutual interest;
- learn to appreciate and enjoy literature and cultures of French-speaking countries and people;
- broaden their career opportunities, both in New Zealand and internationally;
- travel with confidence not only in France but also in other countries where French is a day-to-day medium of communication.
Above all, learning French can be fun. Enjoyment and a sense of achievement are likely to provide the strongest motivation for learning in the early years. That is why we offer French as an option choice to students at Aorere College.