Retour aux Etats-Unis

Wow! I've been home for just over two months, barring the two week trip to Sea Isle City:)

It has been so enjoyable and well, comfortable being home. Which makes me realize that some of the discomfort being abroad is something I've loved! But I am truly happy to be around family, friends and fiancé. I don't think I experienced as much cultural shock coming home this time as I did moving back from Boulogne Sur Mer. But there were definitely still moments. The pace at restaurants,

The main reason I wanted to sneak on here one more time was to post some pictures from my last hoorah in France- a week in Corsica!!

It was just stunning.

And May, my experience tells me, is the best time to go to Corsica. There aren't really tourist yet so it's kind of empty in the best way. It was really something for my friend Jenna and I, to see the lack of Anglophones there. We really got to use all our French almost without interruption and we wondered what a non-French speaker would do.

So Jenna and I rented a car for next to nothing and drove our way across the island. It was a manual, so I did the driving and WOW that was a trip. The impossibly narrow roads climbing up and down the seaside cliffs and the turns... Let's just say that after a week driving there I had blisters on the one hand that had the steering wheel gripped tightly. (The other hand was of course constantly shifting gears, going up and down mountains and turning 180 degrees faster more often than I would have imagine possible.) The locals would whip around the corners not knowing what they'd meet, on roads barely wide enough for one car. This was a constant form of some sort of entertainment, if you could call it that.

So we landed in Ajaccio and spent the first day there.

 

The view from our hotel room

 

Our first delightful glimpse of beautiful Mediterranean waters

 

Ah, how I love these typical French petit-dejeuners

 

 

 

 

 

 

We visited Napolean's childhood home, which was very pretty and I especially appreciated the painted walls.

 

The view from young Napolean's bedroom.

 

 

N.'s mother left this church when she went into labor with the future ruler of France.

 

 

Our first evening there I suggested a visit out to see the les îles Sanguinaires at sunset which did not disappoint.

There are the iles Sanguinaires, and closer to the foreground is a hill we climbed with one of the famous Corsican towers at the edge of the little peninsula.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So here is a taste of Ajaccio, qui j'aime.

 

 

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My Teaching Philosophy

I believe that teachers must continuously be students of the profession to be the most effective instructor possible. I am always on the lookout for what might be a learning opportunity inside or outside the classroom, in order to become a better teacher. I am taking courses to UC that do just that, and plan to continue taking courses throughout my career, after I finish my graduate studies.

I like to approach my teaching with a happy spirit and a passion that will inspire even students who have no interest in learning French. By creating a positive and laid-back classroom style, students are encourage to communicate in general, and feel comfortable communicating in a foreign language which can often be uncomfortable. I try to approach my students as equals, and inspire their respect by my passion for knowledge, teaching, and every student's intellectual contributions. I like to include extra, interesting information about Francophone culture beyond the textbook to also show a respect for my students. One of my favorite hobbies is cooking so I hope to always be able to include this hobby in someway in my courses. Likewise, I hope that students hobbies and interests can play a role in shaping my courses.

My ultimate goal for the currents I teach in beginner French, is that students will be able to carry on a simple conversation in French. I hope that learning about Francophone cultures and the French language opens students' eyes to the diversity of the world with a renewed awareness that there is much to be learned from other cultures. My goal is that the course I teach a student will have a positive impact on their college experience, that they might study abroad one day, continue to learn a foreign language, and have a much greater interest in the world outside Cincinnati, Ohio, or the United States.

Teaching FRE 101 at University of Cincinnati

For my first quarter teaching at UC, I am teaching for French 101 for beginners. I have 22 students who have a very wide variety of majors and they are evenly spread between freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Though the class is designed for students new to the language, many of the students studied French in high school for 3 or 4 years and are enrolled in the class to meet a language requirement to graduate. This makes for an interesting mix of students with different abilities. To overcome this I have students work with someone with a similar ability for many activities and I make sure new French speakers are keep up with material. The course is taught communicatively, and students learn French that is both useful and realistic. There are 4 chapter tests and 4 quizzes, an oral, and online homework. There is much emphasis placed on classroom participation.

Evaluations

My first quarter as a graduate student TA is not yet over, but I do have one evaluation to date from my professor and program coordinator:

click photo to enlarge

I look forward to more feedback from students and professors and always welcome constructive criticism, that I might continuously improve my teaching.

Aujourd'hui

I am currently in my first year as a French teaching assistant and graduate student at the University of Cincinnati, where I am teaching French 101 to undergraduate students. I have used my previous experience as an English assistant at a high school in France to help me, but I am currently focused on these goals to improve my teaching skills:

1. Only speaking in the target language: I would like to minimize the amount of English I use in the classroom to only administrative issues. To achieve this, I have pointed out the tools available to my students to understanding the French used (asking "que veut-dire?" "comment est-ce qu'on dit..." "repetez, si-vous-plait" and using the dictionary in the book as needed), and I am focusing on the tools at my disposal (visual aids, physical demonstrations, and class activities).

2. Creating a comfortable atmosphere: In order to learn a language effectively I believe one needs a classroom where students feel comfortable to try, make mistakes, and learn. I believe encouragement is very important and learning about students' interests and likes is important for achieving this, so I am focusing on these things in order to create a classroom where every single student is at ease to learn and speak French.

3. Learning from courses I take: As a graduate student, I am currently enrolled in Caribbean Literature, 17th century French literature, Research Methods, French practicum, and Arabic 101. I try to learn as much as I can from these classes and the professors who teach them to improve my own class.

4 . In the near future: I plan to study French in Paris over the summer to further improve my language instruction for future French courses.

In the next 5 years...

In the next five years I hope to be graduating with my PhD in French literature so that I can begin my career as a professor of French, and that I can start teaching languages at a college or university abroad. I would like to begin this chapter of my career abroad so that I might improve my language capabilities in French, Arabic, or another language. As a French professor, my main focus will be teaching French literature and culture. I hope that I will also be able to dedicate some of my time teaching languages such as English, or Arabic as well. I hope that my career as a professor will be a reflection of the beauty of the benefits that come with globalization, and that I may make an impact on the world, helping in communications between cultures and languages.

Dream Course

Here is a dream syllabus for a 300 level French course that I would love to teach one day about cultural studies in modern France.



Modern French Cultural Studies
3:00 Tues. & Thurs.
Julia Camp
Office Hours 10:00 M-F

Course Objectives
The objective of the course is to gain a better understanding and appreciation for modern French culture, dealing primarily with the time period post WWII to the present day. Using as a primary text the brilliant book Pas si fous ces Français! ( 6o Million French People Can’t Be Wrong), by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow, we will come to understand French culture beyond the common stereotypes. A strong emphasis will be placed on conversational French in class and students should walk away from the course with an improved ease of speaking in this foreign language. A few times throughout the course we will have native French-speaking visitors to the class who will share their expertise on modern French culture. In addition to the primary book for the course, we will learn about current events and issues in France through weekly presentations by students (see next section). Cultural comparisons will be encouraged to gain a better understanding of the world and what can be learned from French culture or American culture as the case may be.

Grading & Assignments
Every student will be responsible for two short presentations throughout the course. For these presentations the student must select an article or video from a major French news source and present it to the class, putting the article in context for the class and explaining the significance of the event or idea and relating it to course material as appropriate. These presentations should only be approximately 5 minutes in length and will take place at the beginning of each class period. Reading assignment must be finished before class. I will provide related discussion questions for each reading assignment, which you will be expected to have notes on for class/group/partner discussion. There will be two tests and one final exam.
Participation/ Attendance 30%
Oral Presentations 15%
Exam I 15%
Exam II 15%
Final 25%

Week 1
T Introduction to the course.
Th Chapter 1
Week 2
T Chapter 2
Th Chapter 3. Visitor: Professor of Politics, France
Week 3
T Chapter 4-5
Th Chapter 6. Exam I
Week 4
T Chapter 7-8. Visitors: Study abroad students from France
Th Ch. 9
Week 5
T Ch. 10-11
Th Ch. 12
Week 6
T Ch. 13-14
Th Ch. 15. Visitor (via skype) columnist and blogger: David Lebowitz
Week 7
T Ch. 16-17
Th Ch. 18. Exam II
Week 8
T Ch. 19-20
Th Ch. 21. Visitor: French chef, M. B of local restaurant “A”. Come with an appetite!
Week 9
T Ch. 22-23
Th Ch. 24
Week 10
T Ch. 25-26.
Th Ch. 27

Final, Date TBA