A Day in the Life of a French Language Teacher Back to Top

Overview

French is the second most popular language taught in American schools. However, the instruction of French is decreasing dramatically in both elementary and secondary schools. The duties of a French teacher include creating lesson plans, planning activities, creating and grading tests or assignments, and engaging students. French teachers must immerse students in the language by constantly speaking, writing, and reading French, and encouraging the students to do the same. A French teacher must be fluent in French and English. A French teacher must often teach the history and culture of the language, so knowledge and interest of these topics is important as well.

Elementary and Middle School

In 2008, the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) conducted a nationwide survey of elementary and secondary schools to collect data on foreign languages taught in the United States. According to the survey, over the last ten years, French teaching has decreased dramatically from 27% to 11%. Among elementary and middle schools, the most common foreign language program is the exploratory model, which provides introductory exposure to the language. Language focus programs are the second most common program for elementary schools, emphasizing listening, speaking, reading, writing, and culture. The remainder of elementary school programs usually use the immersion model, which provides students with the opportunity to attain high levels of proficiency in the language. When a student reaches middle school, he or she is usually given the chance to choose which language to study, and French is typically an option in most schools. Middle school courses often focus on building on the language programs used in elementary school to provide a basis for high school instruction.

High School

The survey also found that the teaching of French decreased dramatically as well at the high school level, from 64% to 46%. However, considering that 95% of high schools offer language programs and nearly half of these schools offer French, it is still the second most taught language. High school foreign language classes move away from the simple translation of middle school and begin to instruct students on writing, reading, listening, and comprehending. A French teacher can teach anywhere from level one to five, or even an Advanced Placement (AP) course. At each level of French, students will be more immersed into the language and are expected to retain each of the levels before.

French teachers must earn a bachelor’s degree in French, and must be fluent in both English and French. They must also obtain a teaching certificate in the state they wish to teach in. It is also highly recommended to obtain a a foreign language certificate. Currently, only 31% of elementary level foreign language teachers have this certificate, so having one will certainly put you above the competition. The majority of high school foreign language teachers are certified to teach a foreign language. One quarter of elementary schools and nearly one third of secondary schools offering languages reported being affected by a shortage of qualified language teachers. The most affected schools were elementary schools in rural areas and high schools with a large percentage of students from a low-socioeconomic background. The need for qualified foreign language teachers is growing, and the average salary for the secondary level is slightly higher than that of the average teacher, $56,000.

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