Concordia College

Faculty Teaches French to Preschoolers

Nov 26, 2008
Concordia College French professor Dr. Gay Rawson is teaching a younger crowd this semester. With the help of a few of her college language students, she’s bringing her love of all things French to 40-some preschoolers at Cobber Kids day care center.

Each Tuesday, Rawson and her students teach French words and songs to a gym full of children. For the preschoolers, it’s an exciting activity and exposure to another language. For the Concordia students, it’s a chance to use their French skills in the community and serve as a “responsible global citizens.”

“We have French in the after-school programs, but I started thinking about ways to make French more visible in the community,” says Rawson, whose son attends Cobber Kids. “Even on a larger scale, we want our youth to be comfortable around languages and differences.”

As the children, ages 3 to 5, file into the gym and find their places in the large circle, Rawson breaks into a bonjour song, greeting the preschoolers and sending her seven Concordia students out into the group. Then, in an upbeat tone, she asks the children “Comment ça va?” With two thumbs up and a huge grin on her face, she follows with “Très bien?” The kids nod and, as she calls on a few by name, they too give her the thumbs up sign when asked “How are you?”

The next half hour is packed with songs, a dance to music, marching and even crawling across the room as dogs, snakes and crabs, with Rawson chatting away in French the entire time. It’s immersion learning, even for youngsters.

“Languages teach such important skills,” Rawson says, “such as intercultural communication. It’s more than just learning the words!”

As she wraps up the session, Rawson points to her shirt, a map of the world with several colored areas indicating French-speaking countries.

“If you guys keep working on French, you’ll have lots of friends in the whole world,” she says.