Highly qualified & experienced second-level French teacher. Broad range of teaching experience to teens & young adults for both Junior & Leaving Cert exams.

Find out more about Ann Marie

• Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  My French teacher in Loreto College, Mullingar (Mrs Ferga Lynch) really inspired a love of the French language in me. There was a sense of calm organisation in her classroom and she had a very thorough, methodical approach which made the language very accessible. I carried those foundations of French grammar through to my university years so I really see the importance of teaching the structure of the language to give LC students a solid foundation.

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  There are so many to choose from! From the engineer Gustav Eiffel who gave us the iconic Parisian landmark, the great writer Victor Hugo who authored Les Misérables & The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, to inspirational artists such as Claude Monet & Edgar Degas who pioneered the Impressionist movement. There have also been many ground-breaking French women such as sculptor Camille Claudel, fashion designer Coco Chanel and of course Simone de Beauvoir who wrote The Second Sex who campaigned for gender equality.

• Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behavior in the language that you particularly like?

  I respect the French ‘politesse’ that fosters, even demands, good manners and etiquette. There is also the distinction between the ‘tu’ and ‘vous’ form of address which only now, after years of use, feels like a natural way of affording someone added respect or on the other hand, drawing someone into a more familiar relationship. I also love that the French not only greet every single person in an extended group upon arrival but also take the time to say ‘goodbye’ individually which is the opposite of the way we Irish, might ‘slip away’ quietly without alerting one and all to our departure

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  It matters to me in order to stay in touch with lifelong friends we have made through our town twinning (Newbridge - Argentré-du-Plessis Friendship Project) with a Breton village, established over 15 years ago as a result of a chance meeting and a genuine human connection from which has flourished many wonderful trips, experiences and friendships.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  I think LC students find it hard to figure out the way we add endings in French to various different verbs/stems to form the different tenses in French. It feels very challenging initially but once a student understands the basic concepts, they can progress and advance in their language-learning journey.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  I often think of my experience of learning Irish in primary school - it was so confusing to learn about all the different tenses or ‘aimsir’. Fair play to my teacher who had fabulous posters all around the classroom to illustrate the tenses - I can still visualise them. It was years before I could figure out what we were actually learning at the time. I can empathize with second level students as they struggle to learn a new language & the colossal challenge it might pose. But I also see the process from the other side - when one perseveres, it is such an enriching experience to be able to communicate with people in their own native language - a real mark of respect.

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  My first experience in France was as an au-pair in the Parisian suburbs, as a 19 year old. It was a baptism of fire. I studied the previous LC curriculum which emphasised the written word rather than spoken, communicative French so it was a total shock to arrive into a French household and have to communicate totally through French. But it was a valuable life experience and allowed me access to an altogether new dimension of the French language so it was totally worthwhile!

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  I suppose the fact that I have been on that same journey myself and have experience of how one’s linguistic skills can develop far beyond the Leaving Cert. The French language has enhanced not only my, but my family’s travel experiences to the Francophone world, broadened our understanding of another European perspective, allowed us to forge new friendships in distant communities and has given us access to a wealth of culture, art, philosophy & literature. Vive la France!