I've met lots of parents who, like the tweeting father in my last blog, know some French but aren't comfortable trying to speak it in public. Since French is the language of francophone education in Canada, this can make a trip to their kids' school uncomfortable or even unpleasant.

If only speaking French were as simple as this:

But it isn't. So what does that mean for parents who don't speak French? Well, it all depends on the school their kids attend. And what happens in the school depends on the school board's language policy, procedures, guidelines and practices.

The older my kids get, the more I realize there's rarely a simple answer…

Anyway, non-French-speaking parents have a few choices. They can:

• keep their heads down and not look anyone in the eye, thereby avoiding the need to talk.
• speak the few French words they know (like "Bonjour") to support the use of French in the school.
• try to use even more French words (so what if it turns into Franglais?) in an effort to expand their horizons — with friendly help from francophone parents and teachers, of course.
• use their mother tongue, whether it's English or any other language, taking for granted that everybody will understand them.
• use hand gestures, facial expressions and other techniques that don't require fluency in any language.
• encourage their school board to develop a language policy that assures the predominance of French while helping them get the information they need in order to participate in their children's education.

I kind of like the second-last choice, since it can be the most amusing. This being said, school boards that don't have a clear, consensual language policy aren't doing administrators, teachers, parents, students — or themselves — any favours.

But back to those nonverbal techniques. If you'd like to try some out on your next trip to the school, you may find this clip of Quebec comedian Michel Courtemanche inspirational: