When you’re taking a French immersion curriculum, it helps to have a French teacher.

But a Langley school has been missing a full-time teacher for two classes since September, according to concerned parents, who are feeling the fallout of a serious teacher shortage in British Columbia.

“It’s frustrating. These are important years,” said Alicia White, whose son, Trey, has had substitute teachers, but no full-time teachers, in two of four classes at Langley’s Brookswood Secondary.

“We were told they were going to hire someone, going to hire someone, going to hire someone, but nothing’s panned out,” White told CTV News.

Classes are continuing and students do assignments, Trey said, but it’s been some time since anything he did has been marked in French literature or art class.

His most recent report card displays an “NM” – meaning no mark, which doesn’t affect his broader grade, but isn’t very motivational, he said.

“When I draw something really good it’s like, OK, this is going to be awesome. I want a good mark. And nearly two months later, I don’t get it back. It feels like there’s no purpose to it,” he said.

The Grade 8 student says he put himself in French immersion for the challenge and the opportunity to learn about other cultures. He does have full-time teachers in two other French immersion classes, and full-time teachers in four classes taught in English.

“I just want there to be a great learning environment so I can move on and do what I’m passionate about,” he said.

The Langley School District says its human resources department has been recruiting across Canada.

“We’re going to job fairs as far away as Toronto, maintaining a constant presence, trying to get teachers. This has been a challenge across the board,” said spokesman Ken Hoff.

It’s not just Langley. School boards all across the province are having trouble keeping up with a deal to hire over 1,000 teachers province-wide.

That deal was the result of more than a decade of legal challenges after the B.C. government stripped some collective bargaining rights from teachers. The B.C. Teachers Federation fought and ultimately won at the Supreme Court.

Schools are now restoring class size and composition to 2002 levels. The rush to hire has some districts still looking for positions to be filled. In the city of Vancouver, 15 teaching positions need to be filled.

Across Metro Vancouver, there are some 128 vacancies.