Irina Klimenko

A Cohort 21 Reflection by Irina Klimenko

How might we create authentic experiences between Junior Core French students with limited language proficiency and the francophone community in ways that are meaningful, beneficial for both parties, and without overwhelming teachers?

This question kept me awake at night when I started Cohort 21. I imagined my students making real connections with francophone speakers, navigating cultural exchanges, building their identity as French speakers in a tangible way. It was an ambitious vision—and it was about to teach me something I didn’t expect.

The Vision That Met Reality

When I first asked my “How Might We” question, I was thinking big. I reached out to a local francophone school, hoping to bridge the gap between my students and authentic speakers. There was initial interest—a spark of hope that felt real. But then the emails stopped coming. The silence was disappointing, but it was also clarifying.

As I sat with that rejection, another realization hit me: my students’ language proficiency was a significant barrier I couldn’t just wish away. They couldn’t have the rich, independent conversations I’d envisioned. The gap between their abilities and “authentic francophone experiences” felt impossibly wide.

For a moment, I wondered if my HMW question was even answerable. But then something shifted.

The Pivot That Changed Everything

Instead of chasing external connections, I turned my attention inward—to my classroom, my school, my students themselves. What if authentic connection didn’t require fluent French? What if it didn’t require external partners at all?

I started small, with what I now call “French connections.”

Creating French Connections Within Our School Community

Here’s what it looked like:

• Shared interest discovery: I got to know my students—really know them. Not just as learners of French, but as whole people. What made them laugh? What did they care about? How could we bring those things into our French class in ways that felt genuine?
• Inside jokes and community: We developed our own little culture. French buttons appeared on backpacks. Students started using French words and phrases with each other outside of class, not because they had to, but because it felt like part of our identity together.
• The buddy system: I connected students from different grade levels as “French buddies.” The older students helped scaffold language for the younger ones, and the younger students brought energy and authenticity to the interaction. Both groups felt valued.
• School assembly moments: When we had opportunities to represent French at school assemblies, it wasn’t a polished performance. It was our community sharing something they’d built together. That mattered more than perfection.

These weren’t fancy external partnerships. But they were real—built on genuine relationships, inside jokes, shared experiences, and mutual respect.

What COVID Taught Me (When Everything Slowed Down)

When the pandemic hit, my perspective shifted dramatically. Suddenly, I had only 30 minutes per week with my students. Thirty minutes. That was it.

I couldn’t afford to spend time on content coverage or performance anxiety. I had to choose. So I chose safety and belonging over breadth of material. In those short windows, I asked: Are my students feeling seen? Do they feel like they belong in this community? Are they safe?

That constraint became a gift. It forced me to get clear on what actually mattered. Language proficiency? Important, yes. But connection, belonging, and the confidence to keep trying? That was the foundation everything else would be built on.

My Evolved Philosophy: Teaching How to Learn French

After years in the classroom and through the influence of my teacher community, my approach shifted from “teaching French” to “teaching how to be a French learner.”

Now I prioritize:

• Learning strategies: How do you deduce meaning when you don’t know every word? How do you simplify a message to communicate it with limited vocabulary? How do you find French resources that work for you?
• Building agency: My students need to feel capable and empowered, not dependent on me for every translation or explanation.
• Creating confidence: Through music videos, through shared experiences, through the safety of inside jokes—students need to feel like “I can do this” before they can actually do it.
• Embracing the hybrid reality: Yes, we use English sometimes. Yes, we code-switch. We’re not pretending to be native speakers, and that’s okay. We’re building a community of French learners, and that’s valuable in its own right.

Connection—even partially in English, in a French class—matters more than “pure French” teaching.

The Communities That Shaped My Learning

I didn’t arrive at this philosophy alone. I’ve been held, challenged, and inspired by a rich ecosystem of educators and communities:

Communities & Networks

• My French department community at school—colleagues who understand the nuances of what we do
• CIS Ontario and other professional organizations that connect language teachers
• Online social media groups where teachers share real, messy, beautiful stories
• A global network of teacher friends who keep me thinking and questioning
• Participation in the ICLS Language Teachers book club, where we dig into pedagogy together

Podcasts & Resources

• World Language Classroom by Joshua Cabral
• The Motivated Classroom by Liam Printer
• Growing with Proficiency by Claudia Elliott
• The ICLS Language Teachers book club selections on language pedagogy

These communities reminded me that I wasn’t teaching alone—and that being a language teacher in the 21st century means constantly learning, questioning, and growing alongside others who get it.

The Full Circle Moment

Here’s what hit me hardest: I started this journey believing that authentic connection had to come from outside the classroom—from real francophone speakers, from “the real world.” I dismissed internal class connections as not authentic enough. But I had it backwards. What I’ve learned is that creating a safe, supportive, fun environment connected by a shared French experience is what truly matters. That’s where vulnerability lives. That’s where students feel brave enough to try. That’s where learning actually happens.

I came full circle.

The question didn’t change, but my answer did. Yes, I still want my students to connect with the francophone community. That’s still part of the vision. But I now understand that before we reach outward, we have to build inward. We have to create a strong foundation of belonging, confidence, and genuine relationships. Then external connections become possible—not as a band-aid, but as the natural extension of a thriving classroom community.

Where We Go From Here

My next steps aren’t either-or. I’m pursuing external connections simultaneously with deepening the internal “French connections” we’ve built. I’m expanding the French buddies program to work across multiple grades. I’m continuing to invest in the relationships, the inside jokes, the moments of belonging that make a classroom a real community.

And I’m doing it knowing that this work matters. Not because my students will all become fluent French speakers (though some might!), but because they’re learning what it means to show up, to try, to belong to a community of learners. They’re building resilience. They’re discovering that languages aren’t just academic subjects—they’re bridges to other people, other cultures, other ways of being in the world.

That’s the work. That’s what keeps me going.

Irina Klimenko is a Junior Core French teacher in Ontario, Canada. She spends her days creating “French connections” with her students and her evenings learning from the amazing community of language educators that surrounds her.

How might we create authentic experiences between Junior Core French students with limited language proficiency and the francophone community in ways that are meaningful, beneficial for both parties, and without overwhelming teachers?

The Challenge

As a Core French educator, I’ve been grappling with a complex design challenge: How do we bridge the gap between my students’ emerging French skills and real francophone community members in a way that feels authentic, mutually beneficial, and sustainable for teachers already stretched thin?

The tension is real. My students love sports, art, music, games, food, and nature—but they’re still building language proficiency. The francophone community deserves meaningful interactions, not performative ones. And I need solutions that don’t add another layer to my already heavy workload.

Key Insights from Design Thinking

Through iterative coaching and questioning, several powerful insights emerged:

Start small with low-language activities. Sports, art, music, games, food, and nature are naturally low-language spaces where meaning flows through action and shared experience, not fluent conversation.

Focus on creation, not consumption. Instead of students passively attending events or being “practice partners,” what if they created something of genuine value for francophones?

Build in phases. Phase 1: Students build confidence by creating meaningful work. Phase 2: Later, they meet francophones to share, discuss, and co-create together. This removes pressure and builds authentic connection.

Leverage what excites you. My personal passion for nature and my students’ love of music, art, and games aren’t distractions—they’re the fuel for authentic engagement.

Minimize teacher coordination. Asynchronous, structured exchanges reduce my burden while maintaining meaningful connection.

The Pivot: From Events to Creation

Initially, I considered one-off events—a nature walk with a francophone guide, attendance at a French music event. These felt doable, but something was missing. They risked feeling artificial: Why would we do this in French in Toronto, where everyone speaks English?

Then it clicked: What if students created something for francophones first?

This reframe changes everything. Students aren’t just consuming an experience or performing language. They’re producing something meaningful—art, music playlists, food reviews, nature photography, game designs—and sharing it with a real audience who values their contribution. Language becomes a tool for authentic communication, not a barrier to overcome.

Pilot Experiments (December 2025 – April 2026)

I’m committing to testing one or more of these low-lift, high-impact experiments:

Option A: Student-Created Content Series

Students create short French reflections, art, playlists, or food reviews inspired by their interests. These contributions are shared with the local francophone community via social media, email, or a community partner. We collect feedback and responses from francophones.

Timeline: January–February 2026
Teacher lift: Low (mostly facilitation and sharing)

Option B: Nature/Art Collaboration Project

Students create nature photography, sketches, or poetry inspired by local Toronto spaces. This work is framed as a genuine contribution to a francophone environmental or cultural organization.

Timeline: February–March 2026
Teacher lift: Low to moderate (research + coordination with partner)

Option C: Asynchronous Pen Pal/Voice Message Exchange

Students are matched with francophone pen pals or community members. They exchange voice messages or written reflections monthly—low-pressure, ongoing connection that builds over time.

Timeline: January–April 2026 (ongoing)
Teacher lift: Low (initial setup, then minimal maintenance)

Concrete Next Steps

Decide which experiment resonates most with my students and my capacity

Research francophone community partners in Toronto (cultural organizations, schools, community centers, social media groups)

Design the student creation task (What will they make? What’s the prompt? How long?)

Pilot with one small group (not the whole class—test the concept first)

Gather feedback from students and francophones about what felt authentic and meaningful

Iterate based on what I learn

What Success Looks Like

Students feel proud of what they created

Francophones genuinely appreciate the contribution (not just tolerating it)

I spent minimal time coordinating

Students want to continue the connection into Phase 2 (meeting and co-creating with francophones)

Reflection

This design thinking process taught me something important: authenticity doesn’t mean perfection or fluency. It means creating spaces where students have agency, where their contributions matter, and where language serves a real purpose. By starting with creation rather than consumption, by building in phases, and by focusing on mutual benefit, I’m designing an experience that honors both my students’ learning journey and the francophone community’s time and expertise.

The path forward is clear: start small, test assumptions, and iterate. I’m excited to see what my students create and the connections that emerge.

Let’s innovate together. 🚀

The Eisenhower Matrix taught me something I wasn’t expecting.

I already knew that I spent too little time on the important, non-urgent work that actually moves the needle for my students. What surprised me was discovering that my careful over-preparation – all that time crafting “perfect” resources and planning for “almost” every possible scenario – was actually falling into the “neither important nor urgent” category.

Creating new resources and exploring other educators’ work bring me genuine joy, but I realized it can distract me from focusing on what my students actually need to build their language proficiency. My creativity and exploration should serve their growth, not just my satisfaction.

What my students need most are authentic opportunities to use their language skills in real life, and teaching that meets their diverse learning needs. As an introvert with a very busy teaching schedule, the idea of building community partnerships felt daunting. But I know in my heart that connecting my students with real French speakers and real-world experiences would transform their engagement and buy-in on a much deeper level than any perfectly crafted lessons with fun games and beautiful visuals. Those would look great on an Instagram page, but would do little to build real connection with my students. Messy real life lessons stick much better!

It may all seem obvious, for sure. There is just one little challenge: how to actually make those real life experience happen in a sustainable and balanced way? My opinion: start really small. If the task seems too daunting, it’s not small enough. Let’s make it ridiculously small just to start the process and build the momentum.

So here’s my commitment: I’m going to have two conversations this month. I will reach out to people in my personal and professional network to explore possibilities. Not to build an entire program, but to plant one seed. I’m setting weekly reminders to track my small steps, because I know that without intentional accountability, the urgent will crowd out the important once again.

This isn’t about becoming someone I’m not. It’s about honoring what I know my students need while working within who I am. Sometimes the most important work starts with the smallest conversation.