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Close-ups
Award winner Deborah Hiett
Glades Central High School, Belle Glades, Florida
This past summer I was chosen as a recipient
of the Ada Belle  Winthrop-
King Teaching Scholarship. This award allowed me to
attend a four-week course of intensive study at the
Institut Catholique in Paris. The first day I took a
placement test in order to determine my level of French.
I was then given a choice of studying methodology or
the French language. I chose to study the French language.
My studies, therefore, included a daily language class
that involved grammar as well as speaking. This class
varied in length from 1½ hours to 3 hours depending
on the day of the week. In addition, I attended presentations
of two hours concerning art history on Tuesdays, civilization
on Thursdays, and literature on Fridays. On Tuesday
afternoons I attended a two hour film workshop and on
Thursday afternoons a two hour phonetics workshop. A
teacher who does not test at the advanced level would
not attend the presentations or workshops but would
instead continue in the language class.
Because of being placed in an advanced
class, what I learned will be best used in my Level
III and above classes. Of particular use in those classes
will be the advanced grammar exercises as well as the
phonetics practice activities that we received.
I also spent a lot of time photographing
people as well as the places that are discussed in our
textbook. Weekend excursions permitted me to photograph
those in other regions of France as well as Switzerland.
I now have a collection of people and places from the
most obscure place to the most famous. To be able to
hold the pictures in their hands is the first step toward
my goal of making the language come alive for my students.
Real photographs have stories behind them. No textbook
can begin to relate to students the feeling of being
at the top of the Eiffel Tower or discuss the people
you observed and chatted with while sitting at a café
on the Champs-Élysées. It has been my experience that
it is these personal discussions that students enjoy
the most, even when I insist that they talk French with
me.
During the latter part of the year, I
will have my classes design a Power Point presentation.
Using the pictures, they will create an imaginary trip
to France. Jazzing up their slide show with French music,
as well as written sentences, will be a requirement.
Furthermore, they will be orally discussing each slide.
Even the French I classes will be able to simply state
activities that could be done at each location.
Finally, living in a state where Spanish
is so widely spoken alongside English makes it difficult
to find others with whom I can continuously practice
speaking French. Being in Paris, as well as traveling
within the country, allowed me an opportunity to immerse
myself in the language and the culture. As a French
teacher, I have a duty to learn all I can about the
language that I teach and the people who speak it. Having
four weeks in France enabled me to return to my school
with a first-hand knowledge of what France is really
like. A chance to study in Paris was a dream come true
for me. I encourage all who qualify to apply.
Bonne chance!
Deborah Hiett
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