About Mme. Witzel

My name is Janice Witzel and I will be your child’s Grade One French Immersion teacher this year. For those of you whose children I did not have the pleasure of teaching in previous years, please feel free to get to know me throughout this letter. I am originally from a small village near Ottawa. Following my post-secondary education at Brock University, I moved to the Durham Region with my husband and now have three young girls whose passions are dance, music, art, and swimming. I greatly enjoy the richness and diversity that this village has to offer and I am proud to contribute to the language opportunities of this region’s little scholars.

I have studied French since elementary school and have had many enriching experiences throughout my academic career in a French Immersion program. In addition to applying my French knowledge in the Ottawa Valley, I have also travelled to Switzerland on a student exchange during high school. Since this experience, I have returned many times to visit my host family and have also taught lessons in Switzerland in a completely French school.

In 2003 I began teaching Grade 1 French Immersion for DDSB at Captain Michael VandenBos P.S. I enjoyed six wonderful years at VandenBos, but was excited to help build the French Immersion program at Brooklin Village when it began in 2009.

As a role model to children, I believe I have a responsibility to foster enjoyment and motivation towards learning. In my teaching approach, I use a balance between current teaching methods, hands-on activities, and cooperative learning techniques in order to support different learning styles and bring about feelings of success.

In addition to encouraging enthusiasm and achievement among my students, I also strive to develop a sense of confidence among the parents of children in the Immersion program. In order to support the language learning experience of students and parents alike, I have developed a website to aid all learners by offering yet another resource to assist those in the early years of the French Immersion program. Primarily created to support new Immersion students, this website offers support in response to the challenges of word pronunciation, thematic vocabulary, and new concepts introduced throughout the year. I encourage you to visit the website regularly in order to explore vocabulary, support learning at home, and keep informed about our classroom learning throughout our year together.

Vocal and instrumental music, reading, and traveling are some of my personal interests that influence my personality and teaching style. I encourage my students to share their individual talents and experiences in class, and to approach learning with interest and enthusiasm.

My work with children fills me with enthusiasm and dedication. As I continue to learn and grow myself, my philosophies and my program strongly encourage students to become life-long learners by following and nurturing their curiosity. I strive to help each student to feel capable of achieving a variety of challenges. I am excited to teach such a motivated and inquisitive group of students.