24962: Hermantin (News)Fluent in French: For Haitian-American kids, it's a coup (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Sun, May. 01, 2005


EDUCATION
Fluent in French: For Haitian-American kids, it's a coup
Haitian-American parents say having their kids learn French at school is a
way to keep them connected to their culture
BY DARRAN SIMON
dsimon@herald.com

Praise and scoldings in the Duret household were handed down in French.

''Ne fait pas ca!'' Marisa Duret told her mischievous kids.

Like other Haitian-American parents in South Florida, the Durets wanted
their children to be fluent in French as a way to connect to their Haitian
culture.

Speaking an extra language or two is an asset to anyone in a global world,
but experts say some Haitian parents value French as a status symbol,
especially over the Creole more commonly spoken in Haiti.

''Creole is a means of communication, while French is a marker of social
differentiation,'' said Jean-Robert Cadely, a linguist and associate
professor of Creole-Linguistics at Florida International University. ``The
perception still remains the same.''

Educators at schools in Broward and Miami-Dade said they see an interest in
French among Haitian-American parents.

Census numbers show more than 160,000 Haitian-Americans live in Miami-Dade
and Broward counties.

Sixty percent of the students at Lycée Franco-Américain International School
in Hollywood have Haitian roots, said Jacquelyne Hoy, chancellor of the
school, a private language school with students from pre-K to sixth grade.

In one-story pink buildings at 3100 N. 75th Ave., the pupils talk to each
other and answer their teacher in fluent French. Sebastien Darius, 7, pumps
his hand in the air and snaps his fingers when teacher Juliette Montiel
tells him his answer was correct.

Hoy, who is Haitian-American, started the school with her husband, Timothy,
in 1997 with seven children, mostly of Haitian descent. Since then, it has
grown to 136 students in a larger location, and there are plans to expand
again in the near future, she said.

''Speaking another language is like having a second soul,'' said Hoy, a
former counselor in the Miami-Dade public school system.

Marie Theodore-Pharel of Pembroke Pines sends her daughter, Phanesia, 5, to
kindergarten there. Phanesia speaks Creole English and French.

''I think being polyglot is an asset in this society,'' said
Theodore-Pharel, an associate professor of English and literature at Broward
Community College.

Karl Leconte's two children, Nicholas, 9 and Giovanni, 7, also attend Lycée
Franco-Americain.

''With globalization, . . . cultures getting together, . . . I thought it
would be a good idea for them to learn French,'' said Leconte, 39, who spent
half his life in Haiti.

Knowing French is practical, because his children can respond to their
grandparents, and he encourages it, but they use all three languages at
home, Leconte said.

Most Haitians speak Haitian Creole, an independent language with a
French-based vocabulary, based on grammatical principles of West African
languages, according to Roger E. Savain, a bilingual educational consultant
and author of books on Creole.

Until 1980, instruction in Haitian schools was only in French, making the
language a sign of education in a nation where more than half the people are
still illiterate.

But some parents said younger Haitians no longer view knowing French as a
status symbol.

''As more and more Haitians are becoming Americanized, they are realizing
that there is value in not only speaking French, but speaking other
languages,'' Theodore-Pharel said. ``Instead of French being a marker for
class, for socioeconomic status, French is now a wonderful linguistic skill
to acquire and be part of one's repertoire.''

DIFFERENT CURRICULUM

Some Haitian-American parents said they like the rigors of the French
schools.

L'Ecole Franco-Americaine de Miami in Coral Gables follows the curriculum
from the French government's ministry of education.

Lycée Franco-Américain's curriculum is also based on the French educational
system. The school follows the framework of the International Baccalaureate
Organization, which enables its students to attend any university in the
world, Hoy said.

For Duret, knowing French is not just an asset to her kids, but part of who
they are. ''Even though they weren't born there, it is part of their
culture,'' said Duret, a Kendall resident whose youngest, Alain, 11,
attended L'Ecole Franco-Americaine de Miami, at 6565 Red Rd.

About 10 percent of L'Ecole Franco-Americaine's students have Haitian roots,
said Léna McLorin-Salvant, who founded the school a decade ago.

Knowing how to speak French has been a source of pride for Duret's son,
Lesly, 21. ''It shows depth to the person,'' he said. ``The fact that I am a
black man walking around the University of Florida and I am trilingual, a
lot of people don't expect that.''

The Miami-Dade school district has a program in French at Sunset Elementary
School in Miami, George Washington Carver Middle School in Coconut Grove and
the International Studies Charter High School. There are plans to expand it
to Coconut Grove Elementary and Ponce de Leon Middle School, officials said.

Through an agreement with the French government, students learn the language
and several subjects in French.

A number of Sunset students have Haitian roots, said Terre Pujol Burns, lead
teacher for Sunset's international studies program.

CREOLE'S POPULARITY

Almost two decades ago, Haitian law made Creole became an official language
but many formal documents are still issued in French, which only a fraction
of Haitians know. Sabine Phillips, an assistant principal at Pompano Beach
High School, said the official spelling and designation as an official
language gives Creole more credence among Haitian-Americans.

She said Haitian-Americans are now embracing Haitian Creole. ''I have seen a
big turnaround the last 10 years in where people have more pride in being
Haitian,'' Phillips said.