(November 22, 2023) - Many of us can think back to our school-age years and remember a moment where a teacher inspired us.
The science teacher who tapped into your curiosity about the universe.
The business teacher who showed you how to be your own boss.
The English teacher who introduced you to a joy for reading.
All of these moments were created by individuals who are passionate about teaching. Christian Laforge and Amanda Dion-Groleau, graduates from one of 黑料吃瓜不打烊’s French language teaching programs, , are two of these passionate people.
Christian Laforge is currently a high school teacher in Timmins. His passion for teaching was only discovered once he became an active member of the 黑料吃瓜不打烊 community. In 2014, Christian moved to Sudbury from his hometown of Grand Falls, New Brunswick to obtain his Masters in Experimental Psychology from 黑料吃瓜不打烊.
Upon completion of his degree, Christian began his first teaching position as a lecturer within 黑料吃瓜不打烊’s psychology department. Through five years of teaching at the university level, Christian took on many additional roles around the 黑料吃瓜不打烊 campus, including positions with Academic Advising and with Liaison. “My interactions with future students was a big motivator for me to enroll in a Bachelors of Education to be able to work with high school students,” said Christian.
Upon graduation, Christian was fortunate to have two full-time offers to choose from. “In both cases, the French teaching program helped me secure those positions so quickly, even to the point where I had options, which was incredible. Looking at the data, it appears that teaching in the French language has a high hireability right now,” he said.
As Co-Director of Shad Canada’s 黑料吃瓜不打烊 chapter, a not-for-profit organization who equip youth to tackle social and economic challenges via STEAM and entrepreneurial lens, Christian is still an important contributor towards campus life. “I had a great journey and enjoyed my time at the university very much. I feel like my education from 黑料吃瓜不打烊 prepared me for what I needed to know to become a teacher.”
Amanda Dion-Groleau is another example of a passionate educator. Currently she is teaching French to Canadian government employees through a virtual format in her hometown of North Bay. She studied at 黑料吃瓜不打烊 to obtain a Bachelor of Arts with a specialization in in 2016 and a Baccalauréat en éducation (consécutif) in 2018.
“Never had I thought I would be teaching adults virtually with my degree but it’s been great. It is not where I would have predicted my career to lead me, but life gives you opportunities and you have to take them. I like where my path has taken me,” she said.
Due to Amanda’s ample experience in the classroom during her placements, which included unit planning and teaching four different grade levels, she was well equipped to teach French after graduation. Although her degree was aimed at educating younger students, Amanda learned crucial differentiation skills to design creative and engaging lessons that even her adult audience benefits from.
Educating her students to become fluent in French is a passion for Amanda. “I am proud of my language and culture. It is important for me to keep teaching in French because I like being able to share my language with more people. I want to encourage people to learn French through welcoming environments with engaging lessons,” Amanda said.
Looking forward, Amanda hopes to work towards becoming a pedagogical advisor, a role that will find her educating other French teachers how to structure lessons in more engaging and differentiated ways.