Five years into my work at Nichols and after completing a master’s degree in teaching a second language from the Isabelle Kaplan Center for Languages and Cultures at Bennington College, I have come to a few conclusions. I have learned that there really is not a lot of literature that provides concrete answers and techniques for teaching middle school foreign language, but the work I did at Bennington showed me how to look at the whole student and to think about ways for motivating these young learners. They are past the age where language can be acquired by simply listening to it, but middle schoolers are ready to take on the challenges provided by learning about French grammar and can use French to learn, write and speak about culture.

I love to use film in the classroom. The movies that work in elementary school are not challenging for students in middle school, and yet, finding the appropriate movie for our emotionally and intellectually diverse group is tricky, but doable. I find that the biggest challenge is helping my kids to realize that this is not the French they learned in elementary school because I’m actually getting them ready to succeed in French Two in the high school. I have to stay on my toes, and this is precisely why I love my job.

Growing up in New York City, I met and worked with people from all over the world and the United States. Foreign language, diplomacy and travel were a large part of my education, and my parents stressed knowledge as they key to achieving the American dream.

As a teacher of French, I find that the foreign language classroom is at the forefront of developing skills that help individuals of any age navigate various beliefs systems. The skills that can be developed are the ability to be: self-aware, curious about others, empathetic; One may also develop the ability to negotiate meaning, and to resolve conflict through peaceful means. I would like my classroom to be the prime incubator for developing tolerance and acceptance because there is a constant conversation about how other cultures do what they do, why they do it and how it compares to our own way of doing things.

If an educated person is one who has great self-knowledge, included in that reflection has to be an awareness of one’s own culture/cultures. An educated person has an understanding of the way they communicate with others and the way their views are culturally and linguistically shaped. There is an implicit understanding that with self-knowledge is acceptance and self-esteem that does not infringe on the right of another to pursue their self-interests. In the end, I just want my students to enjoy the speaking and learning French. If that brings us to world peace, that’ll be awesome. At least they’ll know how to make French crêpes along the way.