Meet Anne, Academic Leader of French in Lower School

With roots in France and a passion for language and culture, Anne is dedicated to making French accessible and engaging for young learners. Since joining ISL in 2020, she’s helped shape a curriculum that not only builds language skills but also fosters open-mindedness and cultural curiosity, preparing students for an increasingly globalized world.

Could you please introduce yourself and tell us about your role at ISL?

Je m’appelle Anne Salvignol, and I was born and raised in France, near Luxembourg. Family has always been the most precious part of my life, and my parents, who inspired my brother and me with strong values, have greatly influenced who I am today. I am proud to pass these values on to my 3 children, who have grown into wonderful adults.

These family values—especially respect, kindness, and open-mindedness—also guide me in my role at ISL. As a French teacher for Lower School children and an Academic Leader for this section, I strive to create a supportive, inclusive environment where children can thrive academically and personally.

What inspired you to take on the role of Academic Leader for French in the Lower School, and how long have you been with ISL?

What inspired me to take on the role of Academic Leader was my drive to continuously expand my knowledge and embrace new challenges. I joined ISL in 2020 and was immediately drawn to the dynamic environment where each year has brought new, unique experiences. Starting in my role by adapting to the temporary changes in the French teaching model due to Covid, I continued in the following years by redefining the French curriculum using DELF PRIM standards, then we became a PYP school, and started implementing Universal Design for Learning. Throughout this journey, ISL has been an inspiring place for growth—not only for students but also for teachers. I am grateful for this enriching experience with my team.

What did you do prior to working at ISL, and what brought you to our school?

As a teenager, I dreamed of becoming a pilot, but since there were not a lot of women in that profession at the time, I became an air traffic controller. After getting married and having three children, a phrase my mother often said when she was a teacher took on a new meaning for me: the teaching profession allows for a good balance between work and family life as it aligns with children's school schedule. With my children being my priority, I then took an exam and returned to school to learn a new job and become a primary school teacher in France.

I taught for 10 years as a homeroom teacher in various schools, including some in disadvantaged neighborhoods. After that, I joined a French school in Luxembourg from the AEFE (the French School System Abroad) network, which offered a different context and student population.

In 2020, during the lockdown, after spending 10 years at that school, I sought new challenges and was fortunate to find a position as a teacher and department coordinator at ISL. In August of that year, I began teaching French to both French-speaking and non-French-speaking primary students while also coordinating the French department.

What does your typical day look like?

I feel like I wear three hats at ISL: French as a foreign language teacher, teacher of French for French-speaking students, and head of a department and its team.

When I arrive in class, I first put on my Academic Leader hat to respond to emails and manage related tasks.

After that, I switch hats to focus on my lesson preparations and corrections before my students arrive. I teach four groups across four different grades—two groups with French speakers and two with beginners—requiring significant preparation. In addition to tailoring the content for these groups, I must also consider how to present the material in a differentiated and adapted way to ensure all learners can access the learning.

Throughout the day, I participate in meetings and collaborative sessions with colleagues and sometimes with parents. I try to take a moment each day to greet my team members in their classrooms, but our schedules don’t always align. Consequently, I sometimes only see some of them at the end of the day when we take our students outside for dismissal.

There’s never a dull moment!

What do you love most about your work?

Even though I feel like I have three different jobs, my satisfaction comes from a common element: seeing adults and children engaged in their missions or learning with confidence and motivation by not being afraid to try new things even if sometimes it leads to making mistakes – after all, to err is human!

As a French teacher for beginner learners, my favorite moment is when a student no longer fears trying to speak French and starts playing with the language, even becoming their parents’ French teacher. Recently, during parent-teacher conferences, several families shared that their child was singing in French at home and having fun asking them questions about their favorites (color, animal, fruit, etc.). This truly made me happy, as it shows these children have confidence in what they know and enjoy using it outside of class. This confidence is excellent fuel for motivation, which itself is a powerful driver for acquiring a new language, especially when this one is very different from their native language.

How do you engage students in learning French, and what strategies do you find most effective in making the language accessible and enjoyable? Do you have any tips for parents out there to support the little ones outside of school? 

The ideal approach is to use teaching strategies that make learning French enjoyable and meaningful. However, certain skills, like understanding verb endings in different tenses and conjugations, are challenging to teach in an engaging way, even for native speakers. In these cases, I focus on helping students see the usefulness and importance of what they’re learning so that, even if they don’t find it fun, they recognize its value and are motivated to invest in it.

Whenever possible, I try to make the lessons more engaging, for example by having a group of my French-speaking students create mini-films based on the dialogues they have written or by role-playing to reinforce vocabulary and sentence structures with my beginner students. 

It’s important to remember that there are only three hours of French class each week. If children only practice during that time, their progress may be slower than expected. Regular exposure to French outside of school is essential for developing their skills and making them stronger. Parents can help by increasing French exposure at home or in the community through listening to songs and podcasts, watching French films and cartoons, joining clubs where French is spoken, reading books, and using French in daily interactions—at the bakery, in the city, etc.

What do you believe is the importance of learning a second language at a young age, and what goals do you aim to achieve with your students?

Communicating in another language goes beyond knowing vocabulary and grammar rules; it also encompasses the cultural dimension that the language conveys. I believe it's essential to harness young children's natural curiosity to expose them to different cultures, helping them understand the world with an open mind. Learning foreign languages is a powerful way to develop these skills from an early age.

With both my French-speaking students and beginners, we often pause during lessons to ask "why?" - Why is there a circumflex accent in this word? Why do we use this expression, what does it mean? Why do we sometimes say "S'il te plaît" and other times "S'il vous plaît"? - These discussions help us explore the origins of the French language and the customs and culture of its speakers.

What are some of the most important skills you hope to instill in your students as they learn French?

I hope that through the approach to learning French that I provide, my students will gain enough self-confidence to communicate increasingly effectively in French, building on what they already know how to say and write while remaining curious and eager to discover and understand what they still have to learn.

How do you define the success of a student in language acquisition and personal growth?

I often remind my students that it is human to make mistakes and that it is completely normal to not know everything. I believe that if children understand and demonstrate that what matters is being curious, open-minded, and willing to take risks when communicating in another language, they are on the path to not only acquiring a new language, but also improving their overall understanding and knowledge of the world around them.

Can you share a memorable project or achievement from your time at ISL that stands out to you?

The celebration of Francophonie in March 2024 was a memorable project that required significant preparation, organization, and creativity from both teachers and students. It provided students in Grades 1 to 4 the opportunity to engage and collaborate, showcasing their knowledge of the French language and allowing them to feel successful.

I hope the next celebration in March 2025 will be equally successful, enabling our students to proudly share what they know about the French language and Francophone culture.

What do you think is unique about ISL?

What stands out to me as unique about ISL is its remarkable ability to evolve and adapt to the diverse needs of its students that prepare them for the ever-changing demands of the world around us. ISL also places a strong emphasis on fostering an inclusive environment, which ensures that every child feels valued and supported in their learning journey.

Additionally, the school's commitment to professional development for teachers ensures that we are continuously learning and implementing best practices to meet our students' varying needs. This dynamic approach not only enhances academic achievement but also cultivates essential life skills such as adaptability, critical thinking, and collaboration.

Please describe ISL in five words.

Adaptable, Supportive, Inclusive, Innovative, Inspiring.