From Students to Teachers

Three seniors garner competitive French teaching assistantships

by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

May 1, 2012

Class of 2012 members (from left:) Kim Vaccaro, Joanna Sprout and Anna Ciriani Dean each received teaching assistantships from the French government and will teach in France next year.

Three graduating seniors have been awarded French Government Teaching Assistantships by the French Ministry of Education and French embassy in Washington, D.C. Class of 2012 members Kim Vaccaro, Joanna Sprout and Anna Ciriani Dean will teach English in French public schools from Oct. 1 through April, 2013. All three recipients took part in Dickinson’s Toulouse study-abroad program during their junior year.

“This is a highly competitive opportunity,” says Lucile Duperron, associate professor of French & Italian and chair of the French department, noting that applicants must meet high standards in French language proficiency and knowledge of French culture.

Vaccaro will teach high school and/or middle school in the Limosin region and will travel throughout Europe during school vacations. Although she is considering entering graduate school for social work in the future, she’s intrigued by the international professional opportunities her assistantship may bring. “This is a great opportunity for those looking to get a foot in the door to work in Europe,” she explains.

Sprout will stay with her former host family while teaching three days a week at a Toulouse elementary school and taking courses in translation. She will apply for an English-translation internship in France with guidance from Sylvie Toux, director of the Dickinson Center in Toulouse. “Depending on how that goes, I would love to pursue a career in translation or international/intercultural education,” she says.

Ciriani Dean, a Writing Center tutor and president of the Dance Theatre Group (DTG), will teach at a high school or middle school in Toulouse. She also hopes to work as an assistant at Toulouse's Dickinson Center and to take advantage of Toulouse’s active arts scene.

“It’s great that we get to pursue this opportunity together, because we all became good friends in Toulouse last year,” Vaccaro says.