The Daily Retina
Mathieu Cladidier, like others, embarked on the adventure of teaching abroad. In this new section, many of them will share with us their experience and their assessment of it.
A motivated and motivating adventure
During my teaching career, I had the opportunity to work abroad, an experience that profoundly influenced my teaching approach and my vision of the world. Inspired by the desire to discover other teaching methods and other perspectives, I embarked on the adventure in 2011, having obtained my CAPES de Lettres Modernes in 2001. Recruited for a few replacements at the Lycée Saint Louis in Stockholm , I discovered my job as a teacher with a different perspective. The richness of Swedish pedagogy, giving a real place to the socio-emotional development of the child, was a revelation. Being, well-being before knowledge, a well-made head above all. This empathy, existing in France of course, but accompanied and encouraged in Sweden, led me to go further. Literally and geographically.
It is therefore at the Bilingual School of Berkeley in California that I am going to the 2012 school year. I will stay there for a total of four years, continuing to learn and take on new responsibilities. This bilingual context allowed me to acquire experience, recognized by different diplomas (Complementary certification, Habilitation DELF Scolaire) and led me to think ” in footbridges “. It is by thinking of Bachelard, in particular of his aphorism concerning the continuity of learning which recalls that ” Who does not continue to learn is unworthy to teach » (Formation of the scientific mind, 1938), that I want to create these pedagogical connections between the French and American curricula, navigating from one language to another, from one content to another to ensure cultural fluidity for learners. It was an incredible experience.
From French as a foreign language to digital pedagogy
In 2016, I changed continents and found myself at Lycée Condorcet in Sydney in the role of teacher and FLE/FLSco referent for the Lycée. During my two years spent in Sydney, I worked closely with the city’s Alliance Française and we managed to certify all our 9th grade students with the DELF Scolaire. A great success for our students from Australian families with little or no ties to the French language or culture. I also discover during internships (Singapore, Hanoi, …) new practices related to digital tools such as democratization of learning and access to French resources capable of transposing the experiences of these students from the other side of the world.
The American Experience
Since 2018, at the Lycée Français de New York, first as a French teacher, then head of department and recently Director of the school (from 9th to 12th grade), I have had an incredible, demanding and rich professional experience. The Lycée is an innovative and multicultural environment that promotes values in which I deeply believe, such as respect for others, commitment to a bilingual French and American education of the highest quality, multiculturalism and the celebration of diversity. The challenges of our world and that of tomorrow, such as adaptation, intercultural connection and differences in vision, mores and values are all challenges to overcome.
The contribution of philosophy
Philosophy has helped me circumvent these challenges with wisdom and perseverance, allowing me to learn valuable lessons. I keep with me a now very worn book, which is that of the thoughts for myself by Marc-Aurele. I sometimes take refuge there when expatriation becomes complicated, which happens sometimes, of course.
My experiences abroad have profoundly transformed my pedagogy. I learned to consider language as a vector of decentering and learning thanks to which one can observe oneself from the inside to better transmit one’s knowledge. This idea echoes the thought of Montaigne and his humanism which sees in the other a reflection of oneself and encourages to appreciate the richness of the world and of the other. Thanks to these experiences, I am convinced of the importance of continuing to learn and share, to grow with others and contribute to a better world. There is still a lot to do and there is still a long way to go, but the prospects are exciting.
Mathieu Cladidier
Source: World – UK Daily News