Following a surprise opening in the French discussion lab teacher position at Scripps College, students Georgia Norton SC ’25 and Sophie Feldman SC ’25 were scouted and quickly hired to fill the vacancy.
Norton was informed of the job opening through a chance encounter in the Scripps mailroom with Chloé Vettier, assistant professor in French studies at Scripps. Norton, who has a minor in French, explained to Vettier that she was hoping to tutor this semester because she couldn’t take any more French classes.
“And [Vettier] said ‘If you want to get more involved, send me an email tonight,’” Norton said. “‘[The French department] needs to replace a TA this week.’”
The last time a student taught French discussion labs was during COVID-19, so Vettier had to confirm with the department that Norton and Feldman could be hired. After being given the go-ahead, they began working.
“I do classes Tuesday, Wednesday and one session Thursdays,” Norton said. “[Feldman] does one session Monday, one session Thursday, and she does the discussion tables and the French movie nights.”
The students of the French discussion lab were made aware of the change just as suddenly. Claire Abboud PZ ’28, an Advanced French and discussion lab student, described how one day the class’s normal teacher failed to show up.
“When we first walked in, we were all kind of confused,” Abboud said. “Then the professor said ‘Well, actually, she had to go back to France for personal reasons.’”
The week of Sept. 16 was Norton and Feldman’s first week on the job — having only taught a couple of classes each so far and with little input from French professors, they are still embracing the flexibility of their new position.
“My goals for this class are to help develop whatever skills students need help with,” Feldman said. “I’m not going to be super rigid about what that looks like.”
Norton shared a similar sentiment about her teaching strategy.
“To be so honest, I have not been in this class before,” Norton said. “So I can just converse, I can help you with your homework, I can teach you about French things, but at the end of the day, the students are kind of co-constructing the class with me.”
Despite the last-minute change in class leadership, Abboud remains positive about the remainder of the semester.
“I have [Norton] as my TA and she seems really sweet,” Abboud said. “I think we’ll have a fun and interesting class.”
The French discussion labs are intimately sized, with only six students in Abboud’s class. Abboud explained that although this class doesn’t offer credit, it is a requirement for her official Advanced French course.
“I have my actual class where we learn grammar, and then this is a more fun class where you just kind of talk and hang out with people and you can watch movies or listen to music together,” Abboud said.
Norton and Feldman hope to lean into the discussion lab’s enjoyable and engaging possibilities.
“I want it to kind of be more holistic than just grammar exercises, because learning a new language doesn’t need to be a scary or a hard thing,” Norton said. “At the end of the day, learning to communicate in a different language is just learning to communicate, period.”
Norton remembers what it was like to start learning French and she empathizes with her new students.
“I’ve totally been where all of these students have been, not that long ago, and so my goal is to provide real help,” she said. “I want them to feel confident and comfortable in the language, but I also want them to feel welcome and supported, not just as students, but also as friends.”
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