The Giles School

Knowing many languages is a priceless asset, one which can lead us into a broader and deeper cultural awareness. Multilingualism can open up a tremendous world of opportunities, not only in business, but also in such diverse fields as communications and diplomacy. It also makes one more adaptable in a world of rapid change, a world characterized by increasingly complex forms of interdependence. For example, according to many economists, in the next twenty-five to thirty years, China could well surpass United States as the world?s leading economy. Learning many languages is thus one important way that today?s children can prepare for these major transformations. The Giles School is one of the very rare as schools in all of Canada offering Mandarin as a regular part of its curriculum. Because early language acquisition is strongly encouraged, children begin daily third language instruction in Grade 1. All the teachers are native speakers, all the textbooks are purchased internationally, and all the classes are small. If you were to spend a whole day at the Giles School, you would see students conversing in three languages: French, English, and Mandarin. Few, if any schools in Canada can claim to offer its students such a rich opportunity today to get ready for tomorrow.

Each student deserves individual attention because each student has unique needs. Learning is optimized when teachers can spend ample time dealing with each child as someone special. This can only happen when classes are small. And when they are small, no child is left behind. Unfortunately, many of today?s teachers operate under far from ideal conditions. It is not unusual to find classes of upwards of thirty or more students. This usually means that teachers spend less time teaching and more on simply ?managing? their classes. It is then difficult, if not impossible, to grant each student the time he or she deserves. Over an extended period of time, having to deal with large classes wears teachers out. Instead of tailoring lesson plans to suit the needs of each student, teachers must occasionally resort to finding some means of averaging the curriculum to achieve at least some minimally acceptable level of expectations. Appealing to the lowest common denominator can leave many students unsatisfied. Gifted students do not get the extra enrichment that could keep them stimulated; others cannot get the extra attention that could help them keep pace. At The Giles School, we have a strictly enforced policy that caps class sizes at very low levels. (Nursery-10, Junior Kindergarten-12, Senior Kindergarten-14, Grade1 to 12-16) This gives every teacher plenty of time to address the needs of individual students, and contributes significantly to a classroom environment suited for ideal learning.

When I began looking for a school for my daughter I immediately thought of my alma mater, The Toronto French School, assuming it would be the natural choice for her as well. The TFS had laid an excellent foundation for my university experience. Certainly, the curriculum in the early years was advanced compared with the public and private schools. Russian in grade 3, Shakespeare in grade 4, advanced Biology, Chemistry, and Physics from grade 3 onwards all contributed to a very solid education. That I was fluent in French and well on my way to fluency in Russian, plus the preparation for O levels, made my transition to university relatively easy. Majoring in International Relations with a double minor in French and Russian, I found the training I received highly relevant in helping me achieve top marks with relative ease. In fact, much of the course material I covered in my first few years repeated what I had already learned. Because of the early start I received, I was able to attain the marks needed to get into graduate studies, if I had chosen that path. However, after comparing the TFS today with the Giles School, I was surprised to find my first choice was the Giles School. I was impressed with Mr. Giles' vision, passion and experience in the field of child education. More importantly, I believe he has taken his 25 years of experience as headmaster at TFS and improved upon it. The emphasis on early intervention is heightened at the Giles School to a level I did not see in my early years at the TFS. Not only are the children introduced to a completely French education, but they are challenged in math,science and music; and introduced to second and third languages at much higher levels at the earliest stages. In addition, the school offers an excellent physical education program, amazing class outings, and top-notch after school programs. There is an added dimension I also feel is very important at the Giles School: an emphasis on developing a world view. Students and teachers are quick to contribute to the outside community through creative fund raising in response to disasters, visiting the elderly, gift drives and other activities that underline a commitment to making the world better. After four years of watching my daughter progress though, I am more impressed than ever. It would be hard to imagine a school that could compete with the Giles School academically. Mr. Giles' curriculum and commitment to "early intervention" is working. Not only does my daughter love school, but she is doing work I never thought possible from a six year old. I love the way the school does not hold back on stimulating the children without appearing to stress them in negative ways. This school is the answer to my dreams as a parent. There is no room for boredom or discipline problems, the teaching and child care staff are excellent, and children are given an opportunity to thrive.

Perhaps the hardest decision we make as parents is selecting our child's school. After looking at many schools we decided that the Giles School was right for two overriding reasons. Firstly, we liked the teachers, the environment, and the curriculum, both for the early years and high school. And secondly, having graduated from The Toronto French School when Harry Giles was headmaster, we knew exactly what to expect... From the beginning, it was clear that the school Mr. Giles founded was different. We were taught entirely in French by young enthusiastic teachers brought in straight from France- and classes were small. In the days of 13 grades, Mr. Giles pushed his students through in 12, but their achievements were still superb. Some classmates went to Neufchatel, Caltech, Oberlin, and MIT, not to mention receiving first class standing in external exams, like the French Baccalaureate, and the O and A levels. My early experiences were of warmth and exciting learning. Although kids came from diverse backgrounds, at TFS we were equal. Education in all subjects was advanced, but it was French education that was most remarkable: we all learned to speak fluently in both official languages. But it was high school when we first understood what early intervention and language training had prepared us for. Mr. Giles was running a school competitive with any in Canada. In Math Olympiads, science fairs, and debating competitions, we competed- and won. In the 1984 Ontario private school public speaking competition we took the first three places. We represented Canada in international competitions, as did our math and science students. We debated legendary Upper Canada College. They intimidated us. We beat them. Perhaps the most important aspect of our education at TFS was the O and A levels. Like British students, we spent a year preparing for the O and A levels. In the English O level, for instance, we spent a year studying four books. None of the students had had the chance to study Shakespeare in such depth, and we soon understood why Shakespeare is so beloved. The same was true for math and science. What none of us knew then was that even in O levels we studied at a level and intensity that wouldn't be repeated until our majors in University. If the curriculum was outstanding, the teachers were the most memorable. Handpicked by Harry Giles, they were the school's backbone: the math teacher who passionately loved numbers, and transferred that passion to his students; and the history teacher who relentlessly taught the great importance of structure in essays. When our three year old was bored at daycare, our memory of attending Harry Giles' school tipped the balance. After visiting many schools we knew that TFS had changed profoundly. At the Giles School we knew immediately that Mr. Giles had started a new school based on the same principles: early intervention, advanced curriculum, excellent faculty and the best French language education in Toronto. He made a very difficult decision very easy.

Love is the foundation of all learning. When children are allowed to make mistakes without fear, when they are encouraged, when they receive constant positive reinforcement, when they feel that they are valued, then the child will thrive and learning will take place. One of the fundamental preconditions for a child?s development is a healthy sense of self-esteem, a sense of his or her own worth as a unique individual whose thoughts and feelings matter and are respected. With this solid grounding, the child will come to appreciate and likewise respect the thoughts and feelings of others. It is the vital responsibility of educators to fashion learning environments where children can grow in social intelligence and exercise their emotional muscles. When this happens, children flourish and the conditions are set not only for life-long learning, but just as importantly, for developing the faculties of empathy and social consciousness. At the Giles School we strive to nurture these social and emotional skills in children by practising an Adlerian approach that treats children as naturally social creatures, and which believes that the development of a vibrant sense of self, and a positive and mature appreciation of one?s relationship to others, go hand in hand. Espousing a philosophy of ?no reward, no punishment,? we believe passionately that children- even young children- can become socially adept individuals who care about others based on the intrinsic merits of doing so; a carrot-and-stick approach is unnecessary. When the emotional foundation for children is set, all that we try to accomplish in the areas of early academics, bilingualism, high international standards, and third languages comes to fruition. Love is the ingredient that makes everything we do-work.

There is a rapidly accumulating body of evidence emerging from fields of cognitive psychology, neurology, along with reports on the life-long effects of early learning from independent groups, such as that headed by Dr. Fraser Mustard, that point indisputably to the major benefits children derive from well-crafted, properly executed approaches to early enriched learning. These benefits are conferred through constant, heavy, positive stimulation of young children?s neural pathways, spawning a rapid proliferation of connections among neurons in the brain. The more intense and varied the stimulation, the denser is the web of connections thus formed, yielding a brain more supple, agile, and responsive than one denied such experiences. The phenomenon is most pronounced in the young. Just observe the relative simplicity with which children can pick up new languages. The Giles School provides children with a saturated, multi-sensorial learning environment. Beginning in nursery, children receive all-day instruction in a French immersion setting by teachers selected throughout the French-speaking world. The early exposure to language, mathematics, art, and music gives children a highly enriched stimulation just at the time when they are most receptive to learning new things, when the brain can absorb new experiences like a sponge absorbs water. And the results that children attain in language fluency and mathematics are well beyond the standards of public (and most private) schools. We don't underestimate children. We give them high expectations-and they meet them. We challenge them- and they respond, not because they are more gifted than other children, but because we recognize that children have boundless instincts for learning. We capitalize on this natural curiosity by creating a richly fertile atmosphere that feeds the mind, nourishes the heart, and quenches the soul.

Children who speak multiple languages early in life have many advantages over unilingual children. They learn how to abstract earlier, to ignore distracting information, and thus to focus more clearly. Why? Because when bilingual children switch constantly between the rules of different languages, they exercise more intensely the language areas of the brain, allowing the brain to mature more quickly and with greater complexity. The Giles School offers a comprehensive bilingual programme starting in nursery. In preschool (Pre-K to Senior Kindergarten), all academic subjects are taught in French. The early, constant exposure to their non-native language allows children to reach a remarkable degree of fluency in a relatively short space of time. At the elementary level, French is the core subject for all subjects, with accommodations made for English and third language instruction. (Mandarin). Furthermore, our curriculum follows standards established by the French National Ministry of Education. As well, most of our textbooks come from France and all of our teachers are selected from throughout the French-speaking world, such as France, Algeria, Burundi, Lebanon, Egypt, and Switzerland. These features help to create a French programme that is first rate in every respect, and together with early academics and small class sizes, give children priceless opportunities to learn one of Canada's native languages under almost ideal conditions.