This bilingual school sounded great initially and their website looks promising; however, as a parent I have been disappointed to see a huge gap between how the school portrays itself for marketing purposes versus the actual reality of the educational experience my child received while studying at the Lycee Louis Pasteur in Calgary.
In terms of fostering 21st century learning skills in students, it is lagging. Aside from not having a computer lab in the school, and instead having a limited number of shared ipads between classes, students spend a major part of their day sitting in individual desks in rows listening passively and doing worksheets. After a long day of school, more worksheets are sent home. Student centered learning is not evident. Cooperative learning and team work skills are not being developed as you might expect due to the very traditional approach to learning. If this is what you are looking for on the other hand, you may like this. I have found the discovery quite alarming, and had expected this learning instutution to be more current with best teaching practices. If you value well developed critical thinking skills, creativity, and a warm environment, this would not be the best place.
Another thing I was quite surprised to discover is how limited the English instruction is in comparison to the French- not to mention lacking in resources. Most classes receive under four hours of English Language Arts instruction each week.
Bullying is very real among students, and judging by the extremely high turnover rate of teachers and staff, it is likely there are issues going on in other levels of the school. Other parents I have spoken to have lost more than one of their childrens' teachers mid year. If it were for a justified reason such as a maternity leave, it would be understandable, but in these cases the young teachers resigned for better opportunities, sick leave, or without explanation.
The school may work for some, but beware. There have been many red flags raised from what I have seen and heard, and after being inside this school on numerous occasions and learning much more, even the community schools started looking really good! From what I know of the local public schools, they are equipped with better resources, supports, staff stability, and a much brighter environment. I expected more from this school given the high tuition, but was let down. I decided to remove my child from the school, and recommend others carefully consider all of your options before settling on this one. read more
