This is the story of a young, cosmopolitan French girl that leaves her family and friends behind to depart for opportunity and adventure in America with her true love. The leading lady has some difficulties adjusting to life in America, but gives it a chance to be with the man she loves. Though quiet and awkward with spoken English, her life skills and experiences do not go unnoticed and she is hired to educate adults in all things French--culture as well as language—and discovers a life’s passion. Fast forwarding a few years, we see our main character living the American dream as a mother with a thriving family and an inspiring French teacher for young children in a lovely school on a mountain.
Is this a foreign language film destined for the Cannes Film Festival? No, it is the story of Valerie Touma, Ridgefield Academy’s Lower School French teacher.
Mrs. Touma, left her native France at the age of 20 with her husband Maroun to pursue his career opportunities in America. “I would never have guessed that I would leave France,” reflects Mrs. Touma. “My entire family was there and I had a wonderful life—I loved the literature, the culture and I traveled all over Europe. The quality of our life was wonderful,” adds Valerie. “If you had a job that was good--the rights of the workers in France are unbelievable, [such as] six weeks of paid vacation.” Health care and college tuition costs were covered by the government. It is wonderful!"
Having lived in the shadow of Paris all her life, moving to the Hartford area and later Danbury was a bit of a culture shock for the young Mrs. Touma, whose spoken English skills were limited, thus making everyday interactions difficult. To go from the culture and energy of Paris to the quiet, suburban life of Danbury also was difficult. “In Paris we could walk everywhere or take a bus or train where we needed to go, but in Danbury you had to have a car and drive everywhere,” adds Mrs. Touma. “I told Maroun, ‘I’ll give it a year.’”
Her limited language skills made going back to school challenging also. Valerie enrolled in business school, but decided that this field did not suit her. Unexpectedly, she received a call from the Brookfield Parks and Recreation Department to teach a continuing education class in French to adults. Parks and Recreation wanted the class to include, not just language instruction, but lessons on culture and traditions. They wanted “the real thing” in a teacher--a native of the country--that could provide the texture and experience of life in France. By teaching the class, Valerie discovered that this was what she was meant to do. She began creating lessons and a learning experience that would be life-changing for her and long lasting for her students. “It was destiny,” explains Mrs. Touma.
After several years hiatus to raise her family, Valerie received another call from Landmark Academy to teach French to preschool students at the Georgetown campus. The rest is history.
Mrs. Touma currently teaches preschool through fourth grade at the Ridgefield Academy campus. There was no program before her arrival, so she developed the curriculum from the ground up. This can be a liberating and a daunting endeavor; however, Mrs. Touma was up for the task. Her curriculum today combines age-specific language skills with lessons on culture, history and tradition. For many years, classroom space was at a premium and Mrs. Touma provided a “traveling class” of sorts. “It’s not easy…when you have to keep all of your class materials on a cart,” recalls Valerie. “It limits what you can provide. Now that I have a dedicated space I have been able to add so much more to the curriculum because everything I need is here.”
To find the right materials, Mrs. Touma reviewed a lot of textbooks from the U.S and France. “I looked at how French schools were teaching Americans/English-speaking people the language and I finally found a notebook that had what I wanted.” “The notebooks we use are published in France.”
One feature of the curriculum is the World Language Fair in the spring which showcases what the students are learning in foreign languages throughout the school. This year the theme is “History of France” and each grade in the Lower School will be assigned an event that they will need to research and write about - in French.
In addition, each grade (Foundation through fourth) participates in a project/event during the year that reflects an important aspect of French tradition or culture. For instance, Foundation celebrated King’s Day (La fête des rois) in January, which, in France is celebrated in all age groups (even in offices amongst co-workers). For the RA celebration, Mrs. Touma baked a traditional cake with a lucky charm hidden in it. The student that received the piece of cake with the charm was crowned queen or king for the day, complete with a crown.
The first grade will have a treasure hunt in the spring with directions and clues to the prizes written in French. Using the featured read aloud book, Wind in the Willows, the second grade created a picture of a favorite character or scene from the story with a description in French, which they presented at an assembly, in November. In February, the third grade will celebrate Mardi Gras—and in the process learn what it is--its origins and relation to New Orleans. Fourth grade will have a fashion show. Now in its third year, the fourth graders will select their own personal fashion and provide a description in French. The fashion show follows with a traditional French breakfast with parents. (“We get the croissants and chocolate bread from Bernard’s Restaurant in Ridgefield—they are the best, “admits Mrs. Touma.).
The World Language Fair and special class events are “a way to put the books aside…to do something different,” admits Mrs. Touma.
Valerie and her husband, Maroun, live in Redding with their three children, Melissa a senior and Tiffany a junior, both at Joel Barlow High School and Jeremy, a 6th grader at RA. In her spare time, Valerie likes to read—in French and in English (preferably in the native language of the author). Her favorite genre is historical fiction, specifically the Middle Ages. She loves to cook—French cuisine, of course. Mrs. Touma loves animals and she still loves to travel. “I love what I do. I am so happy to come to work [at Ridgefield Academy]. My day goes fast. I tell my own children, ‘find something that you like to do–something you have a passion for, something that you want to get up in the morning for.’” “I’m lucky that way.”