Bethany McAndrew, Upper School French

 

I actually never thought I was going to become a teacher. Then, when I was in grad school, I was sitting in a conflict resolution class and I started to think about the most grassroots way to effect change in the world—and not just to react to conflicts, but to prevent them from arising. I recognized that it is through education. That was when I realized that I really am a teacher at heart. I’ve always liked working with kids, and all of my significant jobs have been in teaching. It was a very affirming realization.

 

The biggest piece is communication—it lets you talk to that many more people in the world, whether it is for travel, family, a job, or something else. The flip side is that studying a foreign language also grows your brain in a particular way. For example, verb conjugations are rather analytical and concrete. There is a certain formula for how you construct a sentence or how you put together a particular expression—almost like a math skill, with the same problem-solving elements. At the same time, you are trying to communicate your ideas in a fluid way, and to choose the right words to convey emotions. When you learn a language, it is a nice synthesis of many skills that you can also use in other areas.

 

 

I think that students leave here feeling a sense of empowerment. I think that is important for any student, but particularly for young women. For some it comes early and for others it comes later, but throughout the school there is definitely a sense that we respect our students, and that they have a voice. We want them to know that they have good ideas, and we want to hear what they have to say. I think that is incredibly valuable.