My internship in an OIB section - By Sarah (one of my American interns).

When I think of French class, I think of room 78 in the Language and Performing Arts building at Charles Wright Academy. I think of my six classmates: telling jokes, preparing for exams, and translating French texts. I anxiously recall lessons on grammar, history, and tenses. During my internship, everything has flipped. I am no longer the student, but the teacher. Now, the lessons are in English. Every day, we help students by teaching them how to write a typical American essay, working with them to analyze quotes, and preparing creative writing workshops. I always thought about becoming a teacher, and over the past few weeks I have gotten to experience the profession first hand.

By shadowing Madame Fasquel, an English teacher at Lycée Nelson Mandela in Nantes, France, I have learned what it means to be a teacher. Teaching means patience; it means being ready to switch gears if something last minute comes up. Being a teacher means caring for your students, always wanting them to succeed. I have always wondered what it would be like to be a teacher, and now, I know. Teaching is exciting, fun, and collaborative. It can also be challenging, confusing, or frustrating. All in all, teaching is a rewarding, incredible opportunity, and I think Madame Fasquel for helping me learn that.