Kaleigh

Language Learning Experience

Language is a fundamental part of what makes us human; it is no surprise then, that the process of learning a new language is often a transformative experience. When I decided to take French class on a whim in the tenth grade, I had no idea that my life was about to be changed. Over the years, my language learning experience has blessed me with an expanded worldview, increased confidence, and a calling to pass on my love of language to the next generation.

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My junior year of college began on a plane, flying across the Atlantic to visit the country that I had dreamed of for years. Living with a French host family and taking classes at the local university during my study abroad semester in Nantes, France gave my French skills the communicative boost that they needed. While I had spent the past several years of French classes reading novels and writing essays, it was not until my semester abroad that I really learned to converse in the language. Over the four months that I spent discovering French culture through communication with locals, I began to recognize just how much being able to speak to others in their first language facilitates connection.

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After graduating from college, I knew that I had to return to the country that had captivated my heart. I moved to Montpellier, France, where I spent the school year working as an English Teaching Assistant in a local high school. 

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In my own language learning experience, I had the opportunity to develop relationships through French communication that I would not otherwise have been possible. These relationships have shaped my worldview in powerful ways, transforming me into a more well-rounded, open-minded individual. As a language educator, it is my sincere desire to give my students a pathway in which they are able to use their communicative competence to form relationships and expand their perspectives in this beautifully diverse world.

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