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.