2020 Hall of Fame Nominee
Saint Paul, MN
2020 Finalist from CSCTFL
French
As a veteran teacher who dedicated her more than 30 years of professional life to language and culture acquisition, I identify three components that define the values of language and cultural competency: Academic training that prepares students for advanced work in many subject areas; cultural awareness training that goes beyond isolated stories and stereotypes; and the possibility of discovering new interests, even a passion.
Language learning leads to a command of not only the language being studied, but also one’s native language. Traditionally, teachers begin with key functional phrases followed by a grammatical study of how words build sentences and thoughts. Syntax, verb conjugations and agreement, for example, become systems that, when built upon, form thoughts and ideas. When extrapolated, this academic process of building foundational structures to establish more complex notions is also found in mathematics, the sciences, economics and literature. Even at level I, language classrooms offer a crucial fundamental academic preparation to students.