Last Fall I started to write a nine page proposal to "Fund for Teachers" in an effort to maybe make reality a dream that for long I had envision: to travel to France and take up an intensive course in French and to really have the opportunity to immerse myself in day to day living situations. At the same time I also would learn more about the French culture, perfect my language skills and learn more about French youth and see if I could somehow make a connection with a French high school for future correspondence with my French students.
I chose CILFA to do this because I had received very good reviews about its program and because it is linked with the University of Savoy (Institut Savoisien D'etudes du Francais pour Etrangers, ISEFE)located in a small town in the French Alps.I have never visited this area but after some research, Annecy seems the prefect location to be able to study and get around in a smaller, familiar place than a place like Paris or other large cities in France.
For the last fifteen years as a foreign language teacher, I have strived to empower my students with knowledge, not only of the language but also of the culture that comes with the study of French, Spanish and ESOL. I have seen the faces of my students illuminate as they truly try to learn to speak these languages and how they become interested more and more in the countries, the people and the culture of the languages they are taking.
On July 7th, as I travel to France,the opportunity to have three weeks of intensive course work and cultural visits will allow me to be a catalyst within my school at Hightower High School and the Fortbend ISD district in Texas. But who will benefit the most are my students as I will be enriched directly through the experience of studying in France, experiencing the culture and the people. The enthusiasm and love that I already have for French will grow and as I pass this to my students, I too, like my third grade teacher, will make a difference in the way my students see the Francophone world and I will instill in them a love for speaking a foreign language.
