Lesley Chapman, OWLA Public Relations & Advocacy Chair 
French Teacher, Sycamore High School

It’s that time of year again! Course optioning for next school year is upon us. We know the drill—you encourage your current students, tell them how great next year is going to be, and cross your fingers that enough of them continue to enroll in your program. You campaign, market, and sell your program to potential future students and their parents, hoping that your pitch will be enough for them to sign on. It is a stressful time of year for all of us.

So how do we maintain and grow our programs, making them desirable to the students and their families? Here are some ideas that could help promote your world language programs.

Social Media: Use social media to promote activities and events that are happening in your world language classroom. Positive word-of-mouth is probably the most effective way to grow a language program. The more energy you put in, the more energy you put out. Parents notice, talk, and share.

Newsletter: I use a newsletter to communicate with my families. It highlights what their students have been doing during the month, and I always spotlight one student from each class who has shown growth in their language study. Parents love this and feel connected to what we are doing.

World Language Week: Together with your colleagues, create a World Language Week, in which the entire school participates in trivia contests, food demonstrations, fashion shows, art exhibits—you name it. It is a great way to energize your students and make them feel positive about the language they chose to study.

Board of Education: Attend a Board of Education meeting where you can highlight your students’ achievements (testing results, Seal of Biliteracy candidates). If we want to be considered important in staffing and budgetary decisions, we need a seat at the table. Being visible and tooting our own horn is essential.

Clubs: Be sure to have an active and engaging language club at your school. This is another way to be visible and to include the entire school community in your target cultures. It also gives students opportunities to be leaders.

Accolades:  Parents and students alike love accolades, and anything they can include on their college applications is always a plus. Participating in national contests or in the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy program is a great way to illustrate the importance of what we are doing in the classroom. We have fun, but we also have a mission, and these testing opportunities show off our students’ success.

Highlight Recent Graduates: We all get those emails from former students who are studying abroad or who are using their language skills in their work. These are our victories and should be celebrated. Use your social media or newsletter to get the word out about these past students, and help your current students see their future potential.

It is unfortunate that we need to work so hard to keep our programs afloat. I hope that these ideas will not only show the community some of the magic that is happening in your classrooms, but also bring you encouragement to keep fighting the good fight. It is worth it!