French with Jennifer M.

I adhere to the John Rassias (Dartmouth College Prof.) motto: Please and instruct… entertain with a purpose. Like Rassias, I believe in the power of Drama, of movement, rapid engagement, rhythm and emotion. I have tried to rid myself of any inhibitions, so the students in turn can do so too… so they can gain confidence and inner pride. Using this artistic expression of empathy, any teacher will become closer in his/her relationship to the students; the students can see, feel and hear just how much the teacher believes in them, believes that anyone can learn a language. I like to offer a full immersion experience, a fast-paced, active class where students find themselves on the edge of their seats excited and ready to participate. Ideally I try to allow little breathing room between exercises, which are themselves varied and creative. I make every effort to render contagious my own excitement about the subject at hand. My goal is to make learning itself a genuine pleasure and an eye-opening cultural experience which imparts a sense of accomplishment to my students. I have an affinity for drills (à la John Rassias) and this is particularly useful when teaching grammar, and turns the lesson into a type of game. My drills also emphasize accurate pronunciation and intonation, and I convey the meaning of difficult sentences through rather dramatic, humorous gesturing and intonation. Although my classes very much stress the oral, I am nevertheless sensitive to the needs of the more inhibited, less-theatrical oriented students, and work with them at a pace that is comfortable for them. While I myself am a very energetic teacher, my class is student-centered and focuses on their active participation and interaction. Group activities are part of every lesson, as well as skits, improv. and brief presentation. I try to have my students teach me as well and encourage them to incorporate subjects from their life experiences or other classes into discussions or writing assignments. I teach beyond the text book and the given syllabus, incorporating as much authentic material as possible −whether it is stack of metro maps I have brought back from Paris, photos of me on the Eiffel Tower, post cards of Corsica, a video of the concert with IAM that I attended, an Yves Montand’s rendering of Jacques Prévert’s poems, a recorded lecture by Hélène Cixous via Youtube, cinematic versions of French novels, a pause-café, an episode of Extra sit-com, etc. In short, my method is eclectic and provides a variety of learning situations for the students. I do not like having much downtime in my classroom and so for the classes other than AP (that is a whole other essay!), there is a Question of the Day on the Smart board to which the kids must immediately start answering with peers the moment they cross the threshold of the classroom. I then either give them a riddle to solve, or a pronounciation/tongue twister exercise or a song to sing. Then I jump into a quick assessment of how the homework went and gauge their grasp and then continue accordingly. The rest of the class can proceed in any number of ways: pair work, PowerPoint presentation, listening comprehension, game, dialogue writing, story telling… Student’s work is always returned the following class. My comments and corrections are fairly elaborate but if I feel a student needs more help, I approach him or her and encourage him or her to make an appointment with me. I probably spend as much time outside the classroom with a student as inside. I believe in in high standards with a high amount of support, and I believe that children don’t care what you know until they know that you care. I appreciate the opportunity to help each individual within a classroom develop his or hers full potential and I realize that teaching goes well beyond the classroom. I am looking for an opportunity to help students get through not just their French assignment, but through the very real challenges of learning in any setting of this continually changing world. I feel it is important for students to have a mentor, to guide them in expanding their minds, whether it be in learning a language or literature, learning to think critically and creatively, independently and collaboratively, or be it learning the importance of difference, respect, curiosity and communication. I am more than delighted if somehow I inspire a student to make Francophone countries and French a part of their lives and career; ultimately however, this is not as important as sharing the best of myself so that students might show the best of themselves. My role as teacher intrinsically sets me up as a role model, and in the presence of my students I do well at becoming someone to whom they can relate and look toward for encouragement and advise. Finally, because I try to bring out the individual strengths of each student, I believe I impart to them not just the tangible (audible) −that sexy accent, for example −but rather a confidence in themselves that will serve them well throughout their entire lives and careers. I delight in my interactions with my students, with whom I can share my various and rich “French” cultural perspectives. I believe it is essential to acquire first-hand knowledge of francophone cultures, especially as our world has becomes more interconnected via technology. Thus I am always aspiring to be more proficient in extending my knowledge of other francophone climes to my students so that they may better enrich themselves and know that there are a myriad of francophone regions at their fingertips to study and explore. French does not simply belong to the beloved Hexagon. I want my students to discover that Québec, Cameroun, Haiti, and other francophone regions are every bit as enticing as Paris. I hope to foster, if not Francophonic fanatics, then at least students who develop a strong and life-long interest in the learning process and who are eager to continue the exploration of a global spectrum of ideas and values. Learning another language is learning about another perspective on life. It helps to foster compassion towards others. It gives the learner the ability to step inside the mind and context of that other culture. Without the ability to communicate and understand a culture on its own terms, access to that culture is very limited. Ultimately, a person competent in other languages can bridge the gap between cultures, and in a world where nations are ever more dependent upon on another, understanding other cultures is paramount. Finally, learning another language develops an understanding of one’s culture and language. Wellesley’s core values are: academic excellence, cooperative and caring relationships, respect for human differences; commitment to community. I like to think I am very attentive to all of these. Outside the classroom, I can often be seen watching a soccer game, attending a school play or concert. I am involved in GSA, French club, Peers and Facilitators class, the French exchange and am very sensitive to some of the unique needs of METCO students in our school