French with Ms. Sophie
Once a week, the lower elementary children who have chosen to learn French are in for a treat: a French lesson from the real thing, Ms. Sophie! Elementary assistant Sophie Andre was born in Provence (the southern region of France) in Marseille, and spent most of her life in very old cities in that region, such as Aix-en-Province and Avignon. She also lived in Paris while attending the school of the Louvre (which is attached to the one and only Louvre Museum!). Sophie worked as an art registrar, taking care of art work preservation.
Sophie explains her introduction to Montessori: "I always wanted an alternative way of education for my child and when I had Lynne I dived into Montessori. I arrived in USA permanently in November 2014. My husband is Chinese and our everyday life is a melting pot of different cultures, languages and food!"
Sophie explains what she misses about France: "I really miss the 'historic weight' of Europe. Everywhere you can find traces of the past. Europe (and France) is a living book of history, art and architecture (my studies were in history, history of art and archeology). France is beautiful. It is 17 times smaller than USA but there is such a variety and beautiful landscapes and little old villages (that is why I show a different place to the children at the end of each class through a book)."42 sites are on the world's heritage list of the UNESCO (cultural and natural sites) and the country is still the first international tourist destination (USA is second). Every place is very different one from the others, and has its own special draws (beach, mountains, countryside, urban cities...) You could take many years to explore a different region every year. The South is turned toward the Mediterranean Sea and is totally part of the Mediterranean culture, especially for food. The North is completely different, turned toward either Germany or Belgium and Netherlands. The Alps area is a high mountain way of living, Brittany is soaking in Celtic traditions with the legend of Camelot and King Arthur and the round table; the Southwest holds thousands of prehistoric archeological sites and painted caves. Everything is on a much smaller scale than here. And the countryside still offers a slow way of living, very close to nature (especially with the return of the young generation to a more natural way of living). And the cities are so full of history..."
Sophie's passion for France is evident in the way she teaches the language. The children are absolutely captivated listening to her! It is beautiful to hear the language roll off her tongue, and in turn, hear the children practice the new sounds within their own mouths. There are many differences in the sounds of the French language versus the English language; Sophie recognizes the importance of exposing the children to these sounds as early and often as possible, as well as having them practice making these unique sounds. Plus, she makes it fun with games and a bit of mystery.
Above, Sophie has the children draw cards out of a bag that name in French the different parts of the body they have been learning. Then, the children take turns saying their word, and finding the corresponding body part on the small wooden figure.
Though Sophie misses many, many things about France (including the food, family and friends, the French culture, the cheeses - 1,200 of which have names- the bakeries, the walkability, the theatre, the French book shops, the arts... ) she assures us that she is enjoying her time here: "As long as I can refill my "French tank" every year, I enjoy living here. I feel so lucky to be part of Villa community. To see all those children growing up and the feeling to give the best to my daughter is priceless."
To learn more about Sophie's French lessons, be sure to check out this interview conducted by Villa di Maria student Marguerite nearly a year ago!And thank you, Sophie, for your commitment and joy! We are so proud to have you here at Villa di Maria!