“Fund For Teachers is really a great opportunity to pursue a professional development experience that you’ve always dreamed of yet never seemed possible.”

Megan Murphy, French Teacher, Maple Heights High School

Just like English is not only spoken in England, French is not only spoken in France. It has been my goal to be more intentional about including cultural perspectives and practice from all over the francophone world in my lessons. The problem is that I did not feel like I was knowledgeable enough to teach about some of these places. My grant helped me to change that. I was able to travel to two different countries in francophone Africa--Senegal and Morocco. I chose Africa specifically because I teach in a district where the majority of the students are African-American. I hope that learning about these countries will help engage their interest in learning French and realize that the language can be useful for more than just going to France.

I was curious to learn how much French was actually spoken in each country and by whom. I also wanted to see if the vocabulary or pronunciation differed drastically from that used in France. And of course, I wanted to see what daily life was like and to learn about the art, music, food, and customs in each country.

I was nervous before the trip, which is unusual for me. I had never traveled outside Europe or North America. I had to get a few vaccinations before I left, and I had to be careful about what I ate and drank while on my trip. But mostly, I was scared that I was not going to be able to understand the French. Fortunately, because no one spoke English in Senegal, this was not a problem at all.

“Most importantly, this experience has given me a way to connect with my students and to show them my passion for the French language and francophone cultures.”

This experience has given me a wealth of videos, photos, and personal narratives that I can share with my students to enrich any unit on Senegal or Morocco. But most importantly, it has given me a way to connect with my students and to show them my passion for the French language and francophone cultures.

My favorite part of the trip was the time we spent in the Casamance region of Senegal. I got to spend time in local villages and share meals with a local family. I learned what a cashew nut and fruit look like growing on a tree and the process it goes through before you are able to eat it. I saw a young boy scamper up a palm tree to cut down coconuts that I later ate. I tried Madd and Soursop fruits for the first time. But most importantly, I made friends that I continue to keep in touch with and who are willing to do video exchanges with my students.

[Teachers applying for a grant should] think outside the box. Think big. This is really a great opportunity to pursue a professional development experience that you’ve always dreamed of, yet never seemed possible. It can be intimidating, but just dive in. Once I got started it got easier and easier. It helped to have a friend read what I wrote and give feedback. Also, leave time to cut it down. You are not permitted many words for each section. Once I had a proposal I was happy with I had to cut it quite a bit to meet the application length requirements.

Exploring Culture & Language in Francophone Africa

“Fund For Teachers is really a great opportunity to pursue a professional development experience that you’ve always dreamed of yet never seemed possible.”

“Most importantly, this experience has given me a way to connect with my students and to show them my passion for the French language and francophone cultures.”