The end of every month is an exciting time at EC Montreal!  We announce the teachers of the month!  At EC Montreal, students have a chance to vote for their favorite teacher.  Our amazing team of student ambassadors distribute ballots to all our students.  The ballots ask two simple questions; Who is your favorite teacher?  and Why?  The why is super important to us as we have a chance to get so much wonderful feedback from our students and learn just how much our students appreciate their teachers! We are always so delighted to see that every single EC Montreal teacher receives votes and the winning teachers change every month.  This means that our entire teaching team is fantastic!  They are all skilled, experienced and most importantly, passionate about teaching! This month, the teachers that had the most votes were Essadia for our French department and Golnaz in English.  We surprised them both in their classes with a Teacher of the Month certificate and a small gift.  Their students cheered and applauded and were so very excited for their winning teacher.  They posed very proudly with the teachers. A world of thanks to all the students who took the time to vote and for the lovely comments about our teaching team.  We are delighted to share the comments with all of you: Elle est toujours engagée à aider les étudiants. Bon enseignement Elle vraiement met le baton dans les roues pour les étudiants. She’s a very good teacher. I love my French classes with her. Very good methodology. She’s lovely. A really good teacher and is always willing to help everybody. Elle est très drôle et une bonne professeure. Elle est très gentille. Elle parle beaucoup. She’s really good at making sure that we remember what she taught us and … Read more

EC Montreal celebrated national pink shirt day today.  This was the last of our “Love is all around” themed month.  National pink shirt day is a day that was created to help raise awareness on society’s problem with bullying.  It is a day when everyone is encouraged to wear pink to show that they are standing up to bullying.  Bullying is one of those problems that schools struggle with and have a difficult time dealing with.  More and more schools are offering their students assertiveness training so they feel they have the confidence to respond to a bully. Being proactive and making students aware of the different types of bullying is key.  Prevention is always advised.  That is why celebrating Pink Shirt Day is so important.  Social media is fun and a great way to stay connected, however, many use these platforms for cyber bullying.  We encourage our students to THINK before posting or sharing online. T:  is it true? H: is it hurtful? I:  is it illegal? N:  is it necessary? K:  is it kind? We had anti-bullying signs on every table and even had a chalkboard hanging where students could post their messages on bullying and what they could do to prevent bullying.  My favorite one was “Include others, only speak English or French”.  There were other great messages about always being kind and being a buddy not a bully. Every table was also set up with pink treats to re-enforce the pink statement!  We had pink cupcakes, cakes, donuts, marshmallows, cookies and hershey’s chocolate kisses!  We also had a large container of pink lemonade on the counter that was so delicious and even smelled pink! We had a pink love sign that was at the center of the room that brought everyone together and made everyone smile. … Read more

Every week, EC Montreal meets with its departing students to get feedback on their journey learning English or French in Montreal.  This feedback is vital as we are constantly looking to improve our services and meet our student demands.  This week we met with students from Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela and Switzerland.  These are their EC stories: I chose this destination because it is a city that gives a lot of happiness.  I learned French here.  I learned a lot!  When I first arrived, I knew nothing.  Today, I can speak with people who are French speakers.  I really loved the activities!  Of course, I will recommend EC and will share my experience with everyone.(translated from French) – Juan Guillermo from Colombia I learned lots of new vocabulary!  I think that I improved even though I was only here for two weeks.  My class was really full.  – Thayanne from Brazil It was a good experience because the school is well organized and the teachers have a good level to teach the language.  I would have liked to see more student presentations, more practice with reading and more presentation techniques.  – Juan Manuel from Venezuela I chose Montreal because I wanted to learn about a new country and new culture.  I stayed with Djamel for my entire eleven weeks with Djamel in the Intermediate class and benefited from a very small class size.  However, it would have been nice to get a taste of another teacher to see different teaching styles of French.  In the beginning, the activities are essential to make new friends.  My homestay host was the best!  She supported me more than just my French language learning.  I will never forget my time here in Montreal.  After these eleven weeks, I have a good feeling that I will … Read more

This week, EC Montreal met with students from France, Germany, Korea, Brazil, Switzerland, Japan, Spain, Colombia and Venezuela.  We are delighted to share their feedback with all of you! I chose this destination because I have a friend in Montreal and it was easier.  I will recommend EC English because it is a good structure, the teachers are top notch and the other students are welcoming. – Oceane from France I chose this destination because it is international.  Also, I like the atmosphere here at the EC.  It is very kind and professional.  The teachers are amazing and patient with everyone. – Raphael from Germany I chose Montreal because I wanted to learn French and English.  Also, when I lived in Korea, I really wanted to visit Canada.  So, I have been living here for six months.  I think my English skills improved since I came from Korea.  It was really good and when I met people from other countries, I learned about different cultures and it was a good chance to meet many friends.  If my friends want to study in English, I will recommend this place.  – Sungyeol from Korea I chose Montreal because I think it is a very beautiful city; a mix of Paris and New York City and because here, my two favorite languages are spoken.  I learned a lot during my three weeks here and I started improving as a person.  I love the activities liked the taste of poutine and also everyone who works here is very kind.  Thank you for everything (translated from French) – Luana from Brazil I chose EC Montreal to learn English and French and I am learning a lot of French.  I really improved my knowledge.  The English class wasn’t as helpful because the focus was on discussions … Read more

Maple season is right around the corner in Quebec! The month of March is when the snow starts to melt, and the trees begin to thaw. It is the ideal time to tap the maple trees and extract its sap. The sap then gets transformed into maple syrup. The province of Quebec produces 90% of the world’s maple syrup. We have many maple farms and the process of making maple syrup is one that is celebrated in Quebec! Every March, EC Montreal dedicates its entire calendar of events to maple syrup. We will enjoy an International Women’s Day pancake breakfast, host a maple syrup festival, serve maple tea and even organize a one-day trip to the countryside where our students can visit a maple farm and witness how maple syrup is made. They will also be served a traditional Cabane à Sucre meal which consists of sausage, ham, eggs, beans, meat pie, pickled beets, boiled potatoes, pancakes, maple pie and so much more! Everything, of course, is smothered in maple syrup. Let’s just say it is tradition and an acquired taste. There are many restaurants in Montreal that create a special menu this time of year to give their clients a taste of the Cabane à Sucre. The most popular is located on Duluth street and is called Au Pieds de Cochon. You can also experience this sugar shack feel without leaving the city by attending the annual festival in Verdun called Cabane Panache. The festival includes eighteen restaurants getting together to serve the typical foods. There will be maple smoked Pogos, maple popcorn, maple taffy on snow, Irish stew, maple beef puff pastry, maple churros, dulce de leche made with maple syrup and so much more! There will also be drinking areas set up at the festival. There will … Read more

Did you know that the province of Quebec is one of the largest producers of cider?  Have you ever tried cider?  Did you know that cider comes from apples?  Quebec has many apple farms, thousands of them and with the apples that are not pretty enough to sell in markets, they turn them into apple juice, apple sauce and apple cider which is a fermented apple juice.  It comes in different forms; flat, dry, sweet or sparkling and even in non-alcoholic varieties. As the province produces a lot of cider, it has become a very popular beverage among the Quebecois.  And of course, like anything else that is widely consumed here, we turn it into a festival and it is celebrated!  The Mondial des Cidres will be taking place from Friday, February 28 to Sunday, March 1.  It will be part of Montreal’s Festival of Lights which is the city’s annual celebration of culture and gastronomy.  The Mondial des Cidres will be right outside the Complexe Desjardins in front of the Quartier des Spectacles. The festival will include tastings, workshops and culinary experiences.  Visitors can discover the diversity of flavours in the different ciders at the different sampling stations.  They will even share a variety of pairing options.  What goes well with cider?  Cheese does!  There will be a selection of Quebec cheeses on display as well as delicious bites of grilled cheese sandwiches. From 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday evening, an elegant event called “Chic, le Cidre” will take place with different ciders, tapas and live jazz music.  On Saturday from 9 p.m. to midnight, you can check out all the festiviites during the Nuit Blanche and enjoy the music of DJ Abeille. The price of a festival pass starts at only $20.00.  The festival will take place … Read more

This week, Sharhzad’s French elementary class worked on a very special group project. The activity had them working on the 4 language skills; reading, listening, speaking and writing. The project also helped them to work as a team using project-based learning. Project-based learning is becoming more and more popular and studies find that it is a more effective way of learning. Project-based learning can be best described as an instructional methodology that encourages students to learn and apply knowledge and skills through an engaging experience. In the case of this French elementary class, the engagement came from working on a presentation in small groups and delivering it to the rest of the class. The project began with a reading exercise. The students had to read a passage from a book and the subject was on Montreal’s four seasons. They then did a brainstorming activity on what they already knew about the city of Montreal. This step was followed by an oral comprehension activity on the same subject of Montreal. They then had to work in small groups on a presentation recapping everything they have learned and remembered about Montreal. They created posters to better illustrate their findings. The presentations were delivered in groups to the rest of the class, giving them a chance to practice their speaking skills. The students gave stellar presentations on Montreal that would convince anyone to choose Montreal as their travel and study destination!  A huge well-done to our students and to their teacher, Sharhzad for this excellent project and such successful results! We are so very proud of our students’ achievements and new-found confidence! We are always so impressed at how quickly our French students progress and how they are able to produce the language in such a short amount of time. Join our French … Read more

Today, EC Montreal held romantic comedy movie activity in the student lounge as part of our “Love is all around us” themed month. Last week was jammed pack with Valentine’s Day events. We had our annual Valentine’s Day chocolate festival on Wednesday and our candy-gram serenade delivery on Friday. We wanted to keep the love theme going by showing a romantic comedy. We had large bowls of popcorn on every table in the student lounge and dimmed the lights. The movie we chose to present to the students was Never Been Kissed starring Drew Barrymore and David Arquette. The movie is about a socially awkward girl named Josie who works as a junior copywriter at the Chicago Sun-Times. She volunteers to go undercover as a senior in high school to research contemporary teenage culture. We discover throughout the movie that Josie had a very hard time in high school. She was a geek to the core and bullied for it. She never fully recovered from all the terrible things the popular kids did to her in school. She gets the help of her brother, Rob, to make her popular so she can socialize with the cool kids to get her story. She ends up falling in love with her English literature teacher and the plan goes a little awry. She discovers through her research that kids today aren’t much different from when she went to school. There are still the teachers who march to their own beat, the geeks, the nerds, the popular kids and that one boy that you get up to go to school for.  The movie is funny, touching and very entertaining. It also has a very cool soundtrack that everyone in the student lounge really enjoyed. We will end our “Love is all around us” themed … Read more

On Saturday, February 29, 2020, the annual Study and Go Abroad Fair will be back in Montreal! The event is taking place at the convention center once again this year located at 1001 Jean Paul Riopelle in suite 511 on the 5th floor. The convention center is called Le Palais des Congrès and is accessible by metro, Square Victoria on the orange line. If it is a nice day, you can walk from the downtown core. The event is taking place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. There will be different kinds of seminars starting at noon. The Study and Go Abroad fair is free to attend. Many of our EC Montreal students want to continue studying abroad at the post-secondary or as skilled labourers abroad. This fair is the perfect opportunity to get as much information as possible of the different options available around the world! Many of our EC students are interested in taking a gap year before starting college or university or entering the workforce. Doing a career programme abroad will make an excellent addition to their resume giving them a better chance to be admitted into their programme of choice in university or getting their dream job! The fair will give our students the best resources about everything they need to know or do before travelling abroad. There will be a feature seminar on scholarships so imagine learning how to get a free trip abroad! The fair will consist of top universities, graduate schools and professional schools from around the globe. In addition, there will be many student travel organizations available to featuring work abroad and internship possibilities. The seminars will include the top tips for studying nursing and other professional health degrees in the UK and connecting youth to a world of opportunities. We have … Read more

This week, EC Montreal will bid farewell to lovely students from Chile and Brazil.  We have loved hosting them throughout their EC language adventure and are sad to see them go.  We are so proud of all the achievements they have made.  Here is what they wanted to share with everyone about their EC experience: My first day here, I was very nervous because I am not good at making new friends but people from EC, including the teachers made me feel really comfortable and welcomed, so I highly recommend this place to study and earn new experiences.  My English is definitely better thanks to all of you. – Renata from Chile I decided to come to Montreal because I have a friends who lives here and he told me about the city and about the school.  I recommend the school to my friends because I learned a lot of new words and how to use these words.  The teachers are amazing and help us using all the ways that they have explaining word for word.  I made some friends and I learned more about their cultures too. – Anderson from Brazil I chose EC so I could practice French and English at the same time.  I think I improved a lot, especially in French.  My favorite EC activity was the trip to Niagara Falls and Toronto because it was an opportunity to get to know a little bit more of Canada.  I really liked how the classes at EC are interactive and everyone is invited to participate.  I also loved the homestay I was re-allocated to and I loved that there were other students there as well. – Beatriz from Brazil I chose Montreal because I have already been here and I love the city and the winter.  I … Read more