My life really took off because of the language-assistant program! After completing my bachelor’s degree in psychology at l‘Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, I wanted to take a break from my studies to learn English. That’s when I signed up for the Odyssey program. In August 1986, at the wheel of my Renault 5 loaded with my few possessions, I hit the 401 heading for Mississauga, where I had rented a room. I had been assigned to the Dufferin-Peel School Board to work at two schools in Mississauga and one in Bolton, in Grades 5 and 6 immersion classes. At the Bolton school, I worked on a play with the students. Not only did they have to learn their lines, they had to make the sets and costumes as well. We even made a video recording of the performance. My salary as a language assistant for the 1986–87 session was $8,000. I also did some babysitting after school. For me, it was manna from heaven!
I was lucky to have a brother living nearby in downtown Toronto, and I visited him regularly, taking advantage of these visits to discover the big city. As a native of Saint-Basile-de-Portneuf, a small village in western Quebec, Toronto was a huge city with endless possibilities. In addition to falling in love with Toronto, I met the man who would become my husband and the father of my two sons. I would never have guessed at the time that we would still be together after 25 years.
I got my first job because I was bilingual. Throughout my career in the Ontario Public Service, I was always working to promote francophone interests, and I’m proud of it. Paradoxically, learning English helped me discover and love my mother tongue and my culture even more. Both of my sons live in both languages, but they have always attended a French-language school.
This, in just a few lines, is a recap of a long career that began with the language-assistant program. Good luck!
