by Zoe Bedregal
Q: How long have you been teaching?
A: I’ve been teaching French for sixteen years, three in New York, and the rest here.
Q: Where have you taught, and what were your experiences there like?
A: So, I've only taught in two schools; this one, and the school that I came from in New York. My first school was a middle school, vastly different from this school - it was huge. I only had two preps, so two classes to plan for. It was French 1A and French 1B, whereas here I have five, French one, two, three, and four - and health, so there’s less time in my day to do more. It took me a long time to get used to it here because it's so demanding, but it's all good.
Q: What is your favorite class to teach?
A: Oh gosh, that's hard, I like them all for different reasons. I would say probably French Three, because at French Three they want to be there, whereas in French One and Two, they mostly have to be there to meet their graduation requirements. So you have a different type of student in French three, it's much easier to teach when the kids want to be there.
Q: Why are you personally interested in the French language?
A: Because of my French teacher in high school. Where I grew up in New York, we started in eighth grade and I was terrible, and then I went to high school and I had to continue because in New York you have to take three years of a language to graduate, and when I got my new teacher in high school it just clicked. She was very inspiring and very strict but in a good way! And I still talk to her to this day.
Q: What are some of the most rewarding parts of teaching?
A: Making connections with students, especially if I have a student go from French one and go all the way to French four. Seeing how much they've grown and know that I've played a part in that is rewarding. When students come back and tell me things like, “I went to France, and I was able to do this!” or, “I met some person who spoke French in Texas, and I was able to have a conversation!”. Random stories like that happen, so that's cool.
Q: Do you have any favorite memories from your years of teaching?
A: I do, probably the first thing that stands out to me was when I got married I was still teaching in New York, and I had several students surprise me and show up at my wedding. And that wasn't a teaching moment but it was a very profound moment in my life because they wanted to be there for me, and I wasn't expecting that at all.
Q: What are some important things you’ve learned from teaching?
A: Patience. I would also say I've opened up my mind to a lot more. The way I grew up is not necessarily the way everybody grew up, so I shouldn't have the same expectations for everybody because we all come from different places. I was sheltered growing up - in a good way like my parents were very protective, but the drawback to that was I didn't get to see a lot of differences. And when I started learning French and lived in France, I mean it was a culture shock. In a good way, it was very eye-opening.
Q: How long did you live in France?
A: I lived in France for six months. I did a semester at the University de la Rochelle, I wish I could have stayed for longer but it's very expensive.
Q: Did you have any other careers you wanted, if so what made you choose to pursue teaching?
A: So I started as a pre-med major in college, and I was always really good at biology. But being a pre-med major you have to take other sciences too, and chemistry was hard for me, and I decided, “I don't think I can do this”. So then there was a time when I was undeclared, and then my mom convinced me, she said, “You've always loved French, why don't you do that?” So that's what I did.
Q: How do you balance teaching with personal responsibilities to prevent burnout?
A: I wish I had the answer to that because I am burnt out. This school is very demanding, not just for students, but for teachers too. I try to be very organized but it happens, it does. I just try to take advantage of the time I have because I know I don't have enough. So I do what I can, and then have to supplement at home when I have to.
Q: Is there anything else you think is important to note about teaching or otherwise?
A: Teaching is really hard, it’s stressful. Unfortunately, nowadays in the current social climate, it’s not a profession that a lot of people value. A lot of people will group all teachers into one category, like we’re all trying to do one thing, or not teach. And that has shifted over the years, I used to feel like I had more support or was regarded differently than I am now, so it's stressful, but it's also very rewarding.