I really like my job because I have great students. I enjoy seeing their growth from fifth grade to eighth grade. I am continually impressed by their curiosity and how much they learn. I hope my students will learn not just French language and the culture of some francophone countries, but also a tolerance for differences. These differences might be cultural between countries or differences within the United States and our community. As my students grow into adulthood the world will continue to become more interconnected. I hope my students will become life long learners who appreciate other cultures and are able to adapt to a changing world.
I love to travel. A year ago I was fortunate to travel to Bordeaux, France for a ten day teacher institute. This was a wonderful opportunity for me to immerse myself in French again, connect with other teachers, and learn about the most recent European approach to teaching languages.
If you've never been to Bordeaux, it is a beautiful city. Here are a few pictures I took to entice you!
I finally traveled to New Orleans last year, and now I understand why it was important to rebuild it after Katrina. Although not much French is spoken there, the cultural influence is apparent everywhere. When I was younger I spent a year studying in Austria and a year teaching English in Japan.
Family is important to me, but as my children become more independent and grow into adults I spend less time with them. I enjoy reading. I especially enjoy historical fiction. During the growing season I like to work in my yard and small vegetable garden. I am still amazed by the vegetables that grow each year from seed. When it is too cold to garden I like to knit. Regardless of the weather I walk just about everywhere. I try to take advantage of the many cultural events and learning opportunities that Chicago and the surrounding suburbs offer. I am looking forward to Open House Chicago and the Chicago Humanities Festival this fall. If you are interested in Open House Chicago, October 17-18, 2015, here is a link to the site.
http://www.openhousechicago.org
If you are interested in the Chicago Humanities Festival, October 24-November 8, 2015, here is a link to their site. Teachers can register for free and reduced tickets!
http://tickets.chicagohumanities.org/default.aspx
A bientôt!
Thank you for the wonderful introduction and enticing pictures! Question for you- do you find any resistance from parents or students to learn French? I have to imagine it is rare to find french in an everyday middle school (it seems to be more of a high school focus) so I'm curious to here about this. You are lucky to have a program like this!
ReplyDeleteNicole, although it's true that foreign languages are more often found in high schools, I think there are quite a few middle schools that offer them also. Spanish is the most common second language taught, probably followed by French. Most of my students make a conscious choice to learn French, so I don't run into much resistance. I do try to incorporate games and activities along with culture. Food is a popular topic! Although we don't hear French spoken often in the U.S., once you leave this country you might encounter it! French is spoken in over 40 countries in the world.
DeleteYes....most schools I'm familiar with focus on Spanish. Good to know that there is a strong interest in other languages as well!
DeleteI enjoyed reading your post Karen. You forgot to mention how you are an avid walker. What turned you on to learning the French language? I have been to Paris once. While I had a somewhat preconceived negative impression of the people, I experience nothing but friendly and hospitable people there. Definitely don't need to sit in the line for the Louvre ever again.
ReplyDeleteHi Sonny, I guess my reputation as a walker precedes me... I enjoyed learning French in high school, and then found it fun to speak it and learn about the culture while on an exchange program. Plus, if you learn a language then you should visit a country where it's spoken, right? I love to travel, so that philosophy fit in well. Glad to hear you had a good experience in Paris. I've always had a good experience there too. I also agree, once is enough for the Louvre, but I always find new places to visit in Paris.
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