‘I developed an emotional attachment to the French language’ Dwight School's Associate Head

Many years ago, when I had my first connection with French culture as a teenager, I certainly did not imagine that I would find myself at the residence of the French Consul of Dubai, being decorated with the French Academic Palms (Ordre des Palmes Académiques), an honor which recognizes individuals who have made an impact on French education and, through their service, to the promotion of French culture. Back then, France was just an exotic, romantic far-off destination that I was invited to visit – first as an “au pair,” then as a student, and finally as the founder of a French language immersion school in Brooklyn, New York. That first trip launched a life-long connection with France and French culture.

During that first encounter with French culture, I developed an emotional attachment to the language, which I learned out of necessity.  Upon arriving in France to work as an au pair for the summer, I quickly found myself spending my days with two very young charges – a newborn and a toddler – and their grandmother, who spoke no English, which meant that my French had to grow.  I was pushed to broaden my culinary interests when some of my least favorite foods were on the menu daily, but prepared in delectable ways I had never imagined. And with only a map of the city and a piece of paper in my bag scribbled with the words “Je suis jeune fille au pair.  Je suis perdu.” and a phone number, I set off to explore the sites of Paris on my own. My relationship with France became personal very quickly and was a motivator to soak up as much language and culture as I could while there and upon my return home.

After studying French as an undergraduate, I attended New York University where I completed a Masters in French Cultural Studies, studying both in NYC and in Paris.  During this period in my life, I also started a career working at New York City-based non-profit organizations within the education sector.  After the birth of my twins in 2003, my attention began to turn towards the future and the educational path of my children.

Despite the fact that Brooklyn had a long history of being home to people from all over the world, including French and Francophone expats, there were no educational options at the time that supported this community. The only French schools at the time were located in Manhattan, which were far both geographically and culturally.

Motivated by a desire to seek opportunities for my own children, a chance to bring together my interests in education and international perspectives, and by the numerous like-minded families that I met between 2003 to 2005, I founded International School of Brooklyn (ISB) in 2005. Over the years that I was the Head of School at ISB, it grew from a preschool with 16 students to a PreK-8th Grade French and Spanish International Baccalaureate school with over 300 students. Graduates from ISB entered their high school years as bilingual and trilingual students (French, Spanish, English) known for their communication skills, inquiry skills and international-mindedness.

ISB was accredited by the French government, was the local voting bureau for the area during French elections, hosted French officials and schools from throughout North America for different events, and was known as a leader in international education in the community. The school supported and promoted the Spanish speaking community similarly, receiving recognition as an International Spanish Academy by the government of Spain. In this way, ISB served not only the French, Francophone and Spanish-speaking families in the area, but also non-native speaking families who believed in the importance of bilingual and international education, as was the case for my family.

By the time I left ISB in December 2018 to move to Dubai to be on the founding team of Dwight School Dubai, bilingual and international education in Brooklyn and throughout New York City had become the norm, with many choices for language immersion schools – French, Spanish, German, Russian, Mandarin, etc. – in both the private and public school sectors.

Over the years, my work has given me the opportunity to meet French Presidents, Ambassadors, Consuls; to travel to France and other Francophone countries; and to serve in a leadership capacity in support of French education through my work on the Board of the Association of French Schools in North America – AFSA.  At the end of the day though, the most rewarding part is hearing the anecdotes from families and students about how speaking French and Spanish has connected them to their culture and families; knowing that the Brooklyn landscape has been altered because of the ISB community; and seeing my own two children graduate from ISB equipped to be global citizens.

While this next phase in my life has taken me into a non-French school in a non-Francophone country, I have quickly discovered that the French, Francophone and Francophile communities are strong in Dubai as well. At Dwight School Dubai, French speaking colleagues, students and parents who hail from France, Norway, Lebanon, and Egypt, to name a few, share a common connection to the culture that has become second nature to me. And outside of the school day, catching a French film at Cinema Akil or meeting prospective parents from Mali at an evening admissions event also underscores the potential I have to continue to impact French education and promote French culture here in Dubai.