With a new French teacher comes a new and different format of the French classes.
This year, the French IV and V classes are combined. New teacher Ms. Susan Schilling is teaching this mixed class.
Schilling said there are only four students enrolled in French IV and five enrolled in French V.
According to superintendent Mr. Mike Gallina, the number of students who signed up for these classes was the deciding factor behind the change.
“Our student enrollment numbers for those classes allowed us to economically offer both classes,” Gallina said.
Schilling said it is challenging to teach the combined class, especially coming into the position as a new teacher. She said one of her largest challenges is determining the level each of the classes is on.
“I don’t know what they know and don’t know,” she said.
Senior Taylor Roman, a French V student, said she didn’t come into this year’s class with too many expectations.
“I didn’t know what to expect because I had never been in a class that was combined,” she said.
Schilling said the main difference between the curriculum of the two levels is that French V is an AP class and must consequently spend the majority of the year preparing for the AP test and French IV focuses on grammar.
To deal with these challenges, Schilling said she splits the class up two days a week so each level can work on separate work. The remaining three days are spent as a whole class.
“I need to make sure that each level gets the attention they deserve,” Schilling said.
Schilling said the class practices speaking, reading, listening and writing as a whole.
“I try to incorporate all four of those as often as I can,” Schilling said.
Sometimes both levels work together to edit each other’s papers, allowing the French V students to help the French IV students, Schilling said.
Junior Sara Blike, who is currently taking French IV, said she was not expecting to work together with the other levels as often as they do but it is working out well.
“There’s a lot more stuff together than I expected,” she said. “There’s a lot of reading together.”
Although Blike said working with the higher level students is helpful, she said there is still a distinct difference between the two levels.
“It’s still kind of hard because [the French V students] know more than we do,” she said.
Schilling said other activities that her whole class will be doing throughout the year include reading short stories and plays in addition to doing presentations and on-the-spot speaking.
“I need to get them practicing impromptu speaking,” Schilling said.
Despite the difficulties of having a combined class, Schilling said there are some advantages because her class is so small. One of these advantages includes an increase in class participation.
“They get to speak up more and they get a lot more individualized attention,” she said.
Roman said she is pleased with the way Schilling is handling having both classes together.
“I think Mrs. Schilling is doing a really good job,” Roman said.
Schilling said she strives to keep the class fair so each student gets an equal opportunity at learning.
“I’m doing the best I can,” she said. “I just hope the students aren’t feeling neglected.”
While the overall situation is not ideal, Blike said the combination of classes is currently working.
“I think [Schilling is] handling it the best way she can,” Blike said. “I can’t really think of any other way of doing it.”