Aspiration as a Teacher to Fulfill The Fulbright Flta Mission

Introduction

As a second-year graduate student in English language and civilization, I find the Fulbright FLTA program to be an inspiring prospect. From my very first foray into the subject, I identified with the Foundation’s statement of mission. I believe my core values regarding the importance of cultural exchange in today’s world reflect its mission and multicultural experiences have shaped the person I am today. At the age of sixteen, my sense of independence and resilience were emboldened during a cultural exchange in Australia. Far from most of my cultural markers, and with the structure of my life overturned, I formed lifelong friendships and learned to value another culture so foreign to my own. This experience, coupled with my passion for teaching and my aspiration as a teacher, motivates me to pursue the Fulbright FLTA program and make a meaningful contribution to the educational exchange between France and the United States.

Cultural Exchange and Teacher Aspiration

This exchange, and many others thereafter, have impacted my mindset. As a consequence, I now want to play an active role in bolstering friendship between the United States and France. My openness and warmth are qualities that will allow me to engage with the community and to integrate into it by participating in the local cultural life. Furthermore, it is one of my lifelong ambitions to teach French abroad. I am passionate about languages and understanding cultural differences. My enthusiasm for French has already resulted in educative endeavors; becoming a Fulbright FLTA is, to me, the natural development to my teaching aspirations and desire to share my own culture.

My Aspiration for the Program

First, I am an ideal candidate for the program, because I am dedicated to education, and through my professional experiences, I have developed a vision as an educator. The adversity I have encountered in the past has made me all the more hardworking and driven. After my first two years of university, I found that the field I had chosen to study was not the one in which I would thrive. When I took the initiative to reinvent my path, I elected to study foreign languages. I found a passion for English, which, coupled with the unorthodoxy of my academic journey, has given me the momentum I needed to start teaching others. This past summer, my proficiency in French and affinity for English proved essential as a youth leader in a CISV camp in Switzerland. As an association, CISV promotes friendship between nations by holding camps for children of all nationalities.

One of the activities I oversaw was a debriefing following a guided visit of the Geneva branch of the United Nations. Drawing on my Model United Nation experience in middle school, I helped the students recreate their own United Nations debate. The participants enjoyed the innovative format, while acquiring some debate and negotiation skills. I am fully cognizant that instilling knowledge in students requires more than an understanding of pedagogical methods. Managing a class requires dynamism, adaptability, and organizational and leadership skills, which are traits I do possess. Furthermore, my current position with Acadomia© allows me to teach students of different backgrounds. One of my most memorable students was a young boy who had landed in France from his native Thailand, with little more knowledge of French than I have of Thai. The social exclusion he was beginning to feel at school, as well as the difficult burden of seeing his siblings assimilate much faster than him, had left him feeling resentful and sad.

Psychology Behind Educating as a Teacher

My experience with this student taught me that the psychology behind teaching is at least as important as the lessons themselves. I have learned that the self-validation that comes with academic success begets more success. As an educator, one must keenly apply themselves to be attentive to the needs of each student, even outside of the strictly necessary provisions of academic material. Having been a student of both French and American teachers (as part of my OIB Baccalauréat), I know the rapport developed by American teachers can be quite warm and open. I can remember a number of teachers who encouraged me academically, but my American teachers went out of their way to do so. The show of faith two of my teachers displayed when first, one insisted that I should be in the native speakers’ classes, and later, the second wanted me to participate in the Concours Général d’Anglais, allowed me to thrive. I became fluent in English, and the jury of the national contest granted me an honorable mention; these anecdotes have informed my understanding of the involvement that an educator should have with regards to their students’ success.

My Teacher Qualifications for the FLTA Program

My qualifications for the FLTA program are as follows: I have an undergraduate degree in Foreign Languages, Literature and Civilizations. My dual major was in English and Spanish, and my minor was in Chinese. By July 2019, I will have graduated from the Sorbonne with a Master’s Degree in English. This degree’s focus is on research; I am therefore well-versed in the world of seminars, lectures, and the process of conducting research for a thesis. I have experience in creating lecture material. In a university setting, the material is occasionally engineered by its students. Professionally, I have had to elaborate syllabi for both large groups and individuals. Indeed, I have years of experience as a tutor in French and in English. As a result of this position, I have also developed skills in teaching French linguistics, French grammar, and in helping students improve their communication skills.

Beyond being fluent in English and French, I am also proficient in Spanish. I also have a certificate in Internet and computer technology (c2i), which covers a wide array of skills. Hence, I am capable of renewing my knowledge of digital practices independently. As for my professional ambitions, I intend to continue studying beyond postgraduate school and eventually obtain my doctorate. Therefore, my desired future position as a university professor would entail teaching and research, skills I wish to apply during my year abroad with the Fulbright Foundation. Indeed, as a language assistant, I hope to hone my abilities as an educator and orator.

Should I be selected as an assistant, I would relish the opportunity to learn from a professor and to be part of a team. Moreover, in my own time, I intend to take advantage of being in the country and culture that most interest me as the terrain of a thesis subject. My hope is to deepen my understanding of American culture through the lectures I would attend on campus, and through my own integration into American culture. I aspire to broaden my knowledge by studying subjects that, however relevant they may be, have so far been peripheral to my studies, such as political science and journalism. Eventually, my fondest wish is for my curiosity to be ignited by an issue or a discrepancy that would lead to a Ph.D.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would bring a valuable contribution to the Fulbright Foundation as an FLTA. I am highly motivated by the idea of evolving in an academic environment where cultural exchanges are fostered. In addition, I would employ my strengths and my experiences in education to further the students’ knowledge of French language and culture. Through my personal strengths, I wish to offer a positive example of the French people, and to thus, break from the prejudice that clichés can unfortunately bestow upon my fellow citizens. I would dedicate time and effort to the community by taking part in student associations where my love of the outdoors and of music would prove advantageous. I truly appreciate the prestige of being selected by the Franco-American Commission, and I will strive to be worthy of this trust, should I be selected.