28th November International French Teachers' Day

International French Teachers' Day occurs annually on the fourth Thursday of November. This year, that will be on November 28th. According to the French Institut, there are over 900,000 French teachers worldwide. They work in various countries, cultures, and educational systems but strive to preserve the French-speaking culture. The day was started in 2019 by French President Emmanuel Macron to celebrate the contribution of all teachers to popularising and promoting the French language.

Our Prep School has an amazing French teacher who goes 'way above and beyond' so anything French is observed at school. I like to purchase books that showcase France and the French language, but we don't have a large collection of books in French or parents who are native French speakers.

As you know from an early post we do have a considerable number of books by French authors and illustrators, but these are translations into English.

One French teacher that most children know is Miss Clavell from the Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans. Students often ask is Miss Clavell a nun? Well if the boarding school is a Parisian convent, she may well be, but Wikipedia says 'She is commonly believed to be a Catholic nun because of her general appearance, but her attire in Bemelmans' illustrations is actually that of a nurse.' Does it matter? She cares deeply for the students who are in her care and teaches them various moral lessons.

If you are a teacher of the French language then there are two avenues in which to share children's books.

1. Read books set in France and produced by French authors and illustrators, or 

2. Read exemplary picture books that have been translated into French. This list is a good starting point when looking for titles.