A Q+A with Middle School French Teacher Mr. Boudad
What made you decide to become a teacher?
"Did I decide to become a teacher or did it come to me? First, I knew I was passionate about languages and not just French. For me, language is culture and it’s not just the language you speak, but the culture you learn about. I got into teaching because I wanted to share different perspectives, different visions of the world, and different cultures with students through the art of language. Ultimately, I want to give students different ways to express themselves through language and diverse ways to see the world."
"Words have different meanings in different cultures. For example, I tell my students to think of a blue car. In English we say blue car, but in French we say voiture bleue or car-blue. It’s a representation of how life is slightly different in each culture and I like teaching that to students."
How long have you been teaching for and where are you from?
"I am going into my eighth year of teaching and it all started in China where I went to college. I actually wanted to be a Mandarin teacher first, so I went there to study for my master's.
I actually speak five languages, Mandarin being one of them. To explain a little more about my background, my mother is from Germany and my father is from Morocco. So I am German-Moroccan, but I was born in France because my parents met in France. I come from a multilingual family and that explains the five language thing. After studying in China, I also taught in Bangkok, Thailand where I met my wife who is actually from Seattle.
Before Forest Ridge, I taught at the French American School of Puget Sound and the Epiphany School in Seattle. Now, I am excited to be at Forest Ridge and part of the Sacred Heart Network. I did not know how big the network was."
What classes are you teaching this school year?
"I am teaching middle school French in grades 5-8."
Do you have any favorite moments or highlights from your teaching career?
"There is not just one moment that is my favorite. I think my highlight from being a teacher is when students have an ah-ha moment of learning. The moments where I get the most joy is when I see things click for them. For me those moments are like YES they are understanding the concepts and that brings me a lot of joy. I was able to plant a seed in their minds.
At one point, I was teaching French as part of a French Intensive Learning Program and I was meeting with students for 2-3 hours a day to bring up their level of French. For one student, I was able to get her to learn two years of French in just one semester. For me that was a great accomplishment."
Do you think some people are better at learning languages than others?
"No, I think there are different methods of language learning that works best for each person. I am very grateful for the small class sizes at Forest Ridge because I can really go case by case with each student because they are all different and their learning needs are different. Their language goals and aspirations are also unique. Now I have this chance to work with each student using the methods that work best for them to improve their French."
What do you hope students take from your class?
"I hope students leave my class with new ways of thinking and new perspectives. Of course, I also hope they learn more French vocabulary. As a teacher, I learn so much from my students. Within these eight years of teaching, it has just been a journey of learning from my students."
When you are not teaching at Forest Ridge what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
"I love my family and spending time with them. I also like to snowboard, skateboard, and surf. I also love aviation! I would love to fly planes one day."