French teacher Cassandra Lafleur’s bubbly energetic enthusiasm brings life and passion to the classroom. The classroom feels alive, filled with culture and color. This makes it an ideal place to learn a language. Lafleur’s energy and passion are infectious and they make everyone excited to learn.
Coming from Humboldt High School, there have been some differences including a longer drive and a much bigger school. There are also some welcome differences including students following phone policies.
“I was blown away by cellphones in the classroom because it was a fight for me last year. I’m able to get through my stuff, because you guys respect the world,” Lafleur said.
She is not only a language teacher, but a language learner. She is trilingual and speaks Haitian Creole,, French and English.
“I learned English when I was 15 so I always try to put myself in my students’ shoes. Like ok they’re learning French and just remember what it was like learning English,” Lafleur said.
In only a few weeks Lafleur has already built trust with her students.
“It’s a really safe environment, and it just makes me feel like I can mess up and make mistakes and still learn from them,” junior Jaclyn Jurek said.
She is already supporting her students in and out of the classroom.
Fellow French teacher Amy Budion ran into Lafleur at the soccer teacher appreciation game, “I love that it’s been two weeks and she is already out there.”
Lafleur’s energy and excitement keep students engaged
“She is excited to teach and it makes me excited to learn, ” Jurek said.
“She is making it a fun environment to learn in which means that I want to keep taking the class,” junior Evan Splinter added.
Lafleur’s involvement and interest in students’ lives and activities show her passion for her job. Her energy and enthusiasm to teach keeps students excited about learning French. Having Learned English as a teenager helps her empathize and cater her teaching to different learning styles. She meets students where they are to better support their learning through a variety of methods.
