Graduating seniors and French majors Becca Ouellette and Emily Sullivan have been selected by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy for its Teaching Assistant Program in France. They currently are completing their senior thesis projects in French and after graduation will teach English in France for an academic year.
The Teaching Assistant Program’s goal is to strengthen English-language instruction in the French educational system through the establishment of a native speaker presence. Applicants are evaluated on their French speaking skills and interest in education, experience working with children, study or travel abroad, and an appreciation of other cultures.
Ouellette, who is from Portland, Maine and also an anthropology/sociology major, will teach elementary school (ages 8-11) in Bordeaux, France. During the spring 2012 semester, she studied in Dakar, Senegal and was able to improve her French as well as learn the native language of the Wolof people. As a French tutor at Rhodes, Ouellette guides students through French exam preparation and assignments and acts as a student resource.
Sullivan, who is from Glenview, Ill., will teach secondary school (ages 12-18) in Paris, France. She was named Best Second-Year French Student in 2011 by Rhodes’ Department of Modern Languages & Literatures. Sullivan spent her junior year studying abroad in Poitiers, France as a direct exchange student and completed French literature and history courses. In the summer of 2012 as a Rhodes Regional Studies Fellow, she researched how the Memphis City Schools has done regarding national standards for teaching sex education within their Family Life program. In her hometown of Glenview, she has taught children art classes as part of Make-A-Messterpiece.
Assignments vary depending on school needs, but Teaching Assistants typically lead conversations, serve as a resource person in conversation groups, provide small group tutorials, and give talks related to American studies in English classes.