I truly enjoyed French in high school so I decided to major in it when I went to UMASS Amherst for my undergraduate degree. I spent my junior year abroad in Paris at the Sorbonne and experienced French families and culture first hand. I traveled all around Europe that year and was able to use my French to communicate in countries where English was not widely spoken. When I returned I worked on a concentration in education as part of my degree and decided that I wanted to be a teacher. I went through the certification process and did my student teaching at Westborough High School. Then I realized that I wanted to study more of the French language. I applied to several graduate schools and was accepted at Boston College to study French literature and culture. I worked as a teaching fellow, teaching French to undergrads. I also tutored students in my free time. I received my Master's and pursued a teaching job.
My first teaching job was at Wachusett Regional High School. I had levels 1-4 honors and I had to plan my own curriculum for the upper level students. That was fun for me because I was able to use my literary knowledge to create interesting and challenging lessons for the students. For two years I planned and implemented an exchange program with St. Nazaire, France. We traveled there for three weeks and stayed with families and then the French students came here for three weeks. It was an amazing experience to watch the students connect with their host families and try to use their French. We traveled around the Brittany region and then spent the last three days in Paris. I loved touring them around and showing them all the historical monuments. I spent three years there and then moved on to a part-time position in West Boylston. I wanted to start my family and I didn't want to be working full-time. At this school I planned a weekend in Quebec and we had a great time! The students videotaped their various excursions and tried to use their French as much as possible. After the birth of my second child I resigned from that position to be at home with my kids. Over the years I taught French and Spanish to preschool children, tutored students in French and hosted both French students and teachers in Westborough. I also meet with a group of women once a month who speak French, so I can keep it going. I am now working at St. Peter Marian but unfortunately they have eliminated French from their curriculum so I am actively searching for a job. I have experience working with all different age groups and levels. My degree is in French and I can also teach elementary Spanish. I love the French language and would enjoy helping someone learn to express themselves in the language.
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