Pi Delta Phi Ceremony 2015

Pi Delta Phi is the National French Honorary Society, which new members are inducted into each year. The purpose of Pi Delta Phi is to recognize outstanding scholarship in the French language and francophone literatures, to increase the knowledge and appreciation of Americans for the cultural contributions of the French-speaking world, and to stimulate and to encourage French and francophone cultural activities. In order to be eligible for regular membership, a student must meet the following requirements: completion of at least one course of upper division French; 3.0 GPA in French, 3.0 GPA overall, and rank in the top 35% of their class; with at least sophomore standing.

This year the ceremony took place on April 29th, 2015. Professors of French: Dr. Antosh, Sr. Douglass and Dr. Goetz officiated the ceremony. Kelly Ratterman, a student member and acting president, also took part in officiating the ceremony. The initiates were: Victoria Carvel, Amy Gordon, Mikayla Kozlowski, Lauren Miller and Elizabeth Wheeler.


The World Languages and Cultures Department is proud to welcome these excellent students into Pi Delta Phi! Bien fait, tout le mode!

Fritz Schattauer Awarded Scholarship in Munich

State University of New York at Fredonia German language professor, Fritz Schattauer, has been awarded a full scholarship to participate in a seminar at the Goethe Institut in Munich Germany, this summer.  Awarded by the Goethe Institut, the German government’s language institution, to only a few teachers each year, this seminar, entitled “Auffrischung Methodik/Didaktik Daf Unterricht”  will be a refresher course covering current methodology for teachers of German language at the secondary and university levels.  An emphasis will be placed on technology and its role in the second language classroom.  Mr. Schattauer will be spending two weeks in Munich and also completing an online phase of the seminar, prior to his departure in June.  Other teachers in the seminar will come from countries all around the world making German the only common language among the participants.  When asked what he looked forward to the most, Mr. Schattauer said that it was the interaction with the other teachers in the seminar “You really get to know some amazing people from all over the world and develop lessons with them.  Who knows, often after these experiences, a teacher has partners around the world.  This can often lead to interesting cross-cultural activities with both teachers’ students.”  As a teacher of German at Lake Shore Central Schools, as well, Mr. Schattauer will surely be using his new teaching skills at the secondary level.  In addition, he is hopeful that he will be able to develop a study abroad program for his university students.

Michelle Rawleigh: Childhood Inclusive Education Major with a Concentration in French

Michael Kozlowski (left) and Mikayla Rawleigh
(right) at Education Honors Society

Say "bonjour," to Michelle Rawleigh!  Michelle is a childhood inclusive education major with a concentration in French. When trying to decided on a concentration she decided to choose French because she thought that it would be beneficial for her to have a second language. Michelle took French in high school but unfortunately had a bad experience with it. Despite this experience, she decided to try taking French again in college. After taking French at Fredonia, Michelle had a much more positive experience with the language, which inspired her to continue on with learning French. Although, Michelle enjoys the French classes here she finds them challenging and believes that it is because she wasn’t properly educated in French in high school. However, she is working her best to catch with the help of good friends and excellent tutors within the department.

If Michelle could recommend anything to someone studying a language, it would be to stay motivated. She feels that it is incredibly difficult to learn a language if you do not have the desire to do so, which is why staying motivated is so important. Michelle also would like to recommend studying abroad if possible because it will improve your language skills by tenfold.

If Michelle could study abroad anywhere, she would either want to study abroad in Paris or in the south of France. To Michelle, Paris is a grand city filled with history and vibrant culture. However, a small town in southern France is also appealing to her because each town has its own charm.

Michelle’s favorite course for French so far has been French Civilization and Culture. This class is considered a “language” class, which means that people can take it for French or English credit. With this mixed group of people, it is fun to switch back and forth between French and English. Michelle also likes this course because it is a class that has emphasis specifically on French culture. This is a subject that Michelle has been highly interested in and is glad to have the opportunity to learn more about it.

If Michelle could recommend a story in French to read, she would recommend La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast). La Belle et la Bête is a very popular story in France with countless versions throughout the country. Michelle feels that it is interesting to compare different versions of the same story and see how they change by region.

In ten years, Michelle would either like to be teaching abroad in France or be teaching first or second graders.

For now, Michelle is glad to be a part of Fredonia. To her, Fredonia is a small close-knit community where people are ready to help each other. Michelle is glad that she can be part of such a phenomenal community.

Teaching French in a Dual-Language Elementary School

By Valerie Connor

I graduated from SUNY Fredonia in 2012 with a degree in French-Adolescence education.  With the job market the way it is, I decided to spend the year directly after college working abroad in Paris, France as an au pair.  I lived with a French family and took care of two amazing boys, ages 4 and 7 for a year.  Upon returning home to NYC in July of 2013, I was frantically searching for teaching jobs.  September first came and went with no luck and I was disappointed until I got an email in early October.  It was from PS 58 in Brooklyn, a French dual-language elementary school.  Although I did not have the early childhood certification, I was hired as a dual language kindergarten teacher under the condition that I meet the early childhood requirements throughout my first year of teaching.  I am the only teacher in a room with 24 five-year-olds, half of which are French-speaking, the other half, English-speaking and I love it.  In the morning, all instruction is given in French, and after lunch, in English.  It is a very effective immersion program which I am proud to be a part of.  PS 58 is one of 8 French dual language schools in NYC and that number is growing.  It is rare to be able to use French with young children, but it is a combination I really enjoy.  I think it is important to spread the word that these dual language schools are growing because it gives you the option to not only teach French as a foreign language but teach any subject while speaking in French.  I am thankful for SUNY Fredonia and that I was prepared both creatively and professionally for a career in education.

From left, Liam Kelly, Anju Andren and Hudson Wong, students in a dual-language program at Public School 58 in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Kirsten Luce for The New York Times

(4th grade students at the school where I teach Kindergarten)

This is an excerpt from an article in The New York Times. To read the entire article click here.

Growing up Bilingual in America, the Implications of Multlingualism and ESL

By Caroline Villafrank

Hi, I’m Caroline, I’m a first year Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Graduate Student here at SUNY Fredonia. Becoming a TESOL teacher has been a natural evolution for me. I moved to the U.S when I was 7 from Germany. Growing up with an American Father and German mother, language and Bilingualism have been part of my identity for as long as I can remember. Upon arriving in the United States, I spoke virtually no English, as my parents raised me to speak German. This posed numerous challenges for me as a student, as I was not given an English as a Second Language teacher or assistance, and was forced to navigate the English only school system by myself, an arguably daunting task for a 7 year old, though I eventually did become fluent in English.

Growing up Bilingual has shaped my identity, I feel incredibly fortunate to not only have dual citizenship, but to fluently speak two languages. Being bilingual has numerous benefits such as improving cognitive skills, and even a lower risk of developing dementia later in life. One benefit that bilingualism has granted me is the ability to stay close to my culture. When visiting Germany I am able to speak the language and to experience the culture without restrictions, I am also able to stay close to my family, culture and heritage, as well as read and experience things I may not have been able to in English. Additionally being bilingual is an increasingly sought after skill by employers. As the world becomes increasingly globalized, the demand for bilingual professionals continues to increase.

As a future TESOL Educator I hope to instill in my students the importance of not only learning English, but in developing and maintaining their native languages. It is an unfortunate reality that being bilingual isn’t always respected or valued in the United States, though we tout ourselves as a country of multiculturalism and diversity. There have been several instances in my life when people have told me to “forget German” or to speak English only. One instance that sticks in my mind was when I was speaking German to a friend when a middle aged man remarked that it was a shame that immigrants can’t speak English anymore, to which I replied in fluent English that the United States has no official language policy and that he could stand to broaden his horizons by learning another language.

Part of this negative attitude stems not only from Xenophobia, but also from an Education system that is focused on accountability and high stakes testing. Part of the reason why languages aren’t valued is because of the linguistic landscape of the United States. In Europe countries are smaller and closer together with various languages coexisting. Though the United States has no official language policy, English is viewed as the defacto language of business and culture. Another reason why some people reject the notion of learning a second language is that they feel that it has little to no utility, as English is considered to be a lingua Franca or Global language. Through colonization and globalization English has spread to seemingly every corner of the globe. And though it is quite likely if you travel abroad you will encounter some form of English, it is my belief that you cannot truly experience another culture in your own language. Being bilingual allows you the freedom to travel and experience a culture without restrictions, it can open a door you didn’t even know existed.

Becoming a TESOL educator has been the best decision I have ever made. I love helping my students achieve their goals and I enjoy meeting students from all around the world. Besides being a teacher and assisting my students, I hope to be a positive bilingual role model for my students, as well as an advocate for bilingual education and multilingualism. Studying TESOL here at Fredonia has solidified the importance of being bilingual. All languages in the world have value, no matter how many or how few speakers they may have. Here at Fredonia we are lucky to have a wonderful modern Languages Department that allows students to not only learn a language, but to also gain cultural awareness and an understanding of what it means to be a bilingual in today’s globalized world. I am fortunate to have been raised Bilingual, not only has it opened career opportunities for me, it has allowed me to grow as an individual and to experience indescribable cultural experiences that I would have otherwise not been able to experience. I hope that you will consider taking a language class after reading this post, not only is knowing another language a great career choice, as it can lead to jobs in government, education and diplomacy, it can also lead you to experiencing new cultures and creating a lifelong and insatiable wanderlust.  "One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way."- Frank Smith

About the Author

Caroline Villafrank is a Graduate Assistant and TESOL Graduate Student at SUNY Fredonia. She is particularly interested in Bilingualism, Languages and Linguistic Policies and how Politics shapes Educational Policy. In her spare time she enjoys tutoring students at EC English on Campus, as well as tutoring German and continuing to learn Spanish.  Upon graduation she hopes to teach in a K-12 or University setting and eventually pursue a Ph.D in Linguistics or Foreign and Second Language Education.

Multilingual Parenting Roundtable Discussion

On April 9th, 2015, a panel of professors from a variety of different disciplines took part in the event: Multilingual Parenting Roundtable Discussion. This discussion focused on the methods and impact of multilingual parenting. Each professor shared his or her own experience of raising their child(ren) in a multilingual environment. These professors included: Korrin Mundo (Project BELA), Alex Caviedes (Political Science), Chiara De Santi (World Languages), Daniela Peterka-Benton (Criminal Justice), Iclal Vanwesenbeeck (English) and Guangyu Tan (Curriculum and Instruction).

Mundo spoke first and focused the methods and benefits of raising a child multilingual. Mundo spoke about Family Language Policy (FLP), which is the use and choice of language in a home setting and among family members. A family could choose to speak English outside the home and only speak Spanish (in Mundo’s case) at home. Families can choose to speak one language during the week and one on weeks. Families can also create a rotating schedule of when each language is used. Mundo also spoke about code-switching, which is the natural mixing of two different languages without conscious thought of doing so by multilingual people. In addition, she discussed the cognitive benefits of being multilingual. A person who is multilingual has a greater metalinguistic awareness. Another benefit is that the person has a better handle on his or her executive control system. This involved switching between activities and inhibiting previously learned responses. However, one fear is that speaking multiple languages to children will cause a language delay for the child. It is important to note that there is no clear research linking being bilingual to any kind of language delay in children.

Mundo also stated that both high quantity and high quality are important for the maintenance of language. Children need to have opportunities to play with other children in their minority language. Speaking and reading a lot in the minority language is extremely important. In addition, it is important to expose the children to the culture because language and culture go hand in hand.

Caviedes spoke next as a product of growing up in a multilingual household. Caviedes grew up as a German in Canada. German was spoken in the home and English was used in school. Caviedes’ family took frequent trips to Germany and culture was maintained through books, toys and records. His family made being German and learning German fun and cool, which led to him having pride and interest in being German.

De Santi talked about raising her two daughters in an English and Italian household. She first believed that she could raise her first daughter bilingual if she only spoke Italian and her husband only spoke English to their daughter. This was not as successful as they had hoped and they made a change. Now De Santi still continues to speak only Italian to her daughter but her husband speakers Italian 25-35% of the time in Italian and the rest in English. De Santi’s approach to speaking to her daughter has included always speaking standard Italian to her daughter (no dialects, no childish language), obligating her child to speak Italian, never correct mistakes, and stressing the importance of being at least bilingual. After spending last summer in a daycare in Italy, the oldest daughter is now speaking Italian fluently with some mistakes. De Santi and her husband are awaiting on how their second daughter progresses with Italian and English.

Peterka-Benton spoke next about raising her daughter with English and Austrian (German). Peterka-Benton’s oldest daughter was born in Austria and learned English in day care. Peterka-Benton chose to keep her daugher in Pre-K for an extra year in order for her daughter’s English to develop. Peterka-Benton speaks German to her daughter and her daughter responds in English. Her daughter has faced issues with fitting in at school because others can see that she is different. Peterka-Benton has been helping her daughter combat this through encouragement and continuing to foster German. Peterka-Benton’s youngest daughter can understand German in complete sentences.

Iclal Vanwesenbeeck is a native Turkish speaker and her husband is a native Flemish speaker, together they have been raising their children in a multilingual home. Although, Vanwesenbeeck has been happy to raise their son this way she has worried about outside perception and her son fitting in. Her son has shown comprehension of the languages by making puns, poems, and creating a metalanguage through the use of all three of the languages. Vanwesenbeeck has worked to facilitate language development by creating an environment where her son is comforted and reassured. Music, reading, expression and having an outlet for language frustration has been used to help her son.

Guangyu Tan has a one year old son who she has been speaking to mostly in Chinese, however, she sings in English and in Chinese. Her husband speaks English to their son. It is too soon to see how their son with develop as he is hearing both languages.

Overall, this discussion provided a variety of methods and outcomes of children being raised in a multilingual environment with different language. It will be interesting to see the further impact of living in a multilingual home as these children grow up.

Jordan Holmes: Spanish Adolescent Education Major

Meet Jordan Holmes, a Spanish Adolescent Education major here at Fredonia. Jordan first recalls becoming interested in Spanish in eighth grade. He recalls being really interested in the culture and music and when he saw the movie, Selena, featuring Jennifer Lopez, he fell in love with Spanish. This love grew when Jordan traveled to Spain for a week during his senior year of high school. He felt like he couldn’t get enough of it. He felt inspired to continue learning Spanish and become a Spanish teacher.

During his time studying Spanish, Jordan has faced some challenges with the language. The most challenging aspects were speaking with confidence while using different verb tenses and pronunciation. However, Jordan says that the key is to stay patient. You must realize that you won’t be able to say everything, which is why circumlocution is so crucial. Jordan also said that learning a language is something you have to practice as much as you can. You have to keep challenging yourself and get out of your comfort zone to improve.

Jordan has also had the opportunity to study abroad. He spent a semester in Madrid, which was a center of culture and business in Spain. To Jordan, it felt like living in New York City but he loved it. Madrid may be an international city but it still felt like a small town where Jordan had the opportunity to build relationships with the locals. Jordan is also planning to study abroad this summer in Mexico. In the future, Jordan would like to travel to Argentina because of the dialect and the mix of Latin and European culture.

Jordan’s favorite Spanish class so far was called “Historical Perspective in Art,” which he took in Madrid. In this class, Jordan learned about the history of Spain through artwork. Part of the class was taught in the classroom and part of the class was experiencing the art in the Museo Nacional Del Prado and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.

If Jordan could recommend any piece of literature in Spanish, he would recommend reading Margarita poems by Gabriela Mistral or La Casa en Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.

To Jordan, being a Fredonian means being an open-minded person in a supportive community. Even for a small town, Fredonia is a diverse and well-rounded community full of opportunities for students to grow.

In ten years, Jordan would like to be an established Spanish teacher in a bilingual classroom. His goal is to have the opportunity to teach both in Spanish and in English.

French: The So-Called “Dying” Language

By Zachary Jones

I can’t even recall how many times someone has asked me, “Isn’t French a dying language?” after I tell them that I study French.  As a French and Spanish Adolescence Education major, the idea that my first foreign language of study is “dying” is beyond terrifying and disappointing to me.  After doing some research about this American taboo, I was pleasantly shocked at some of the statistics that I found regarding this so-called “dying” language.  

French is the official language of twenty-nine countries, second only to English.  French is one of the very few languages spoken globally, ranked the sixth most widely spoken language after Mandarin Chinese, English, Hindi, Spanish, and Arabic.  There are currently over 220 million speakers of French worldwide.  Diplomatically, French is evident in many international organizations as one of the working languages of the United Nations, one of the three procedural languages of the European Union, and the sole language of the Universal Postal Union.  French-speaking countries play an active part in the world economy, accounting for some twenty-percent of the world trade in goods. In addition, French is one of the official languages of the Olympics.

French is a bit unusual in the sense that it often exists alongside other languages in multilingual contexts.  French is Europe’s second-most widely spoken mother tongue with over 77 million speakers.  Demographers forecast that France’s birth rate will make French the most widely spoken mother tongue in Europe, ousting German by 2025.  

A recent study by the French investment bank Natixis suggests that French could be the most-spoken language, ahead of even English and Mandarin, within 40 years.  This projection, which estimates 750 million French speakers by 2050, is based on the fact that the language is spoken in the fastest-growing areas of the world, particularly sub-Saharan Africa.  

As for the future of this “dying language?”  It isn’t going anywhere. French is alive and well; perhaps better than ever.

"The Status of French in the World." France Diplomatie. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. <http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy-1/francophony-1113/the-status-of-french-in-the-world/>.

"Why Study French?" Why Study French? N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. <http://m.fll.vt.edu/French/why-french/index.html>.

Zach in Mexico for Spring Break 2015

About the Author

Zachary Jones is a French and Spanish Adolescence Education major here at Fredonia.  Zach is especially interested in the science behind second language acquisition, international education, as well as the advocacy of French education in the United States.  He enjoys traveling and has visited Canada, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. Zach will be studying abroad this summer in Oaxaca Mexico under the direction of our very own Dr. Carmen Rivera.  Zach plans to pursue a career in foreign language education or administration, international law, or diplomacy.