Language Assistants Seminar 2024

The language assistant programme offers the opportunity to teach English in France for 7 months to primary and secondary school pupils. Each year, more than a hundred positions are offered to Kenyan students to teach in state schools in all regions of mainland France and in the French overseas departments (Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, La Réunion). This year’s Language Assistants seminar took place from 16 to 19 September 2024. The Language Assistants selected this year were able to take advantage of 4 days of training, accompanied by teams from the Alliance Française, the Lycée Denis Diderot and the French Embassy. Firstly, on Monday 16 September, the Language Assistants were welcomed at the Alliance Française. Mr Clouteau, the cooperation attaché for French, and Mr Régina, head of Campus France, opened the seminar and outlined the specific characteristics of France. Mr Maris, our headmaster, and Ms Karadi, our headmistress, also gave a talk on how to become part of the school community. On Tuesday 17 September, the Language Assistants made their debut at our school. Welcomed by our master trainer, Mme Boulanger, and accompanied by our referent teachers, Mmes Goubin, Le Garrec and Nangithia, the Assistants were able to (re-)discover the language pathway of the French pupils, before taking part in various workshops, which continued on Wednesday 18 September. Through these workshops, they were able to discover how to motivate their future learners, observe classes, consult resources and learn how to construct a teaching session. They were also able to observe sessions in elementary, middle and high school classes, to gain a better understanding of classroom management and how a language session unfolds.

During a reception at the Embassy, our teams and the Language Assistants were welcomed by Ambassador Arnaud Suquet, accompanied by Senator Edwin Watenya Sifuna (Nairobi County). During this event, the Language Assistants were able to meet various players in the French-speaking world in Kenya, as well as becoming young ambassadors for cooperation between France and Kenya. Finally, on Thursday 19 September, Mr Bernard Clouteau, French Cooperation Attaché, brought the seminar to a close in our auditorium with a cultural day during which he accompanied the Language Assistants as they prepare to move to France. Our school is delighted to have been able to participate in the preparation of the Language Assistants, offering them the expertise of our teachers and the opportunity to discover our school system and our classes before their arrival in France. We wish them all the best in their fabulous adventure!