French Teacher Jeanne Engelkemeir learned to trust herself at our 7-week School of French
Jeanne Engelkemeir, a French and English teacher in West Allis, Wisconsin, attended our 7-week French immersion program to further strengthen her language skills. Jeanne was so impressed with the richness and excellence of the program as well as its faculty and staff that she hopes to return to the School of French to earn her fourth master’s degree.
Jeanne Engelkemeir
Hometown: West Allis (Milwaukee), WI
Program: 7-week Immersion
Level: 4
Current: French/English teacher West Allis Central High School
Why did you choose to study at our School of French?
I’ve been in love with French since first studying it in junior high school, a long time ago! Having continued studies throughout high school and college, including a masters degree in Liberal Studies/Concentration in French, I’d always heard amazing things about Middlebury. One of my high school French teachers had attended Middlebury, and it just seemed like a magical place to be. I finished my undergraduate degree in Brattleboro, Vermont at SIT, The School for International Training, and whenever I said I’d gone to Vermont for my bachelor’s degree, people always asked, Oh Middlebury? So it felt like I was meant to come here! And, as a French teacher, you are always looking for ways to keep your language skills up!
What surprised you about your experience at the School of French?
How truly wonderful it really was! I’d heard great things about it, but I really didn’t know what to expect when it came right down to it, and I’ve done so many training programs over the years (French teacher scholarships to study for a few weeks in France, in Belgium,etc.), but it absolutely was everything I could have hoped for and more! It exceeded my wildest expectations!
That Language Pledge® is POWERFUL!
Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.
I now am more aware of the importance of slowing down and enunciating clearly from both the phonetics class (shout out to Wedsly) and being in the theatre (which is why I did it — to work on pronunciation). I also have more hope to correct fossilized errors, from having been working in French for so long, and as Claire (grammar teacher) told me, I have to trust myself. So more confidence is definitely a gain, as well. I enjoy reading more in French now, and writing — basically everything!
All four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening have all become more sure for me!
Describe your typical day at the School of French.
Get up at 6:30 every morning (I felt like I was still at work, but work is a 6:00 am wake up!), head out to breakfast after showering and getting dressed. First class begins at 7:50, right on time, Grammar begins. Then to Phonetics, then to Youth and Politics in France, and finally to Francophone World and African Literature. Lunch, followed by a few hours to study, meet with a tutor (twice a week for half an hour) and attend workshops, including theatre practice, or any number of workshops: current events, cooking, films, embroidery, improv, choral, phonetics, all in French, as well as evening programs featuring different professors and their work — these were AMAZING! The only problem was having SO MUCH to choose from and wanting to do it all to gain and benefit from the seven week experience, while still trying to keep up with homework! So, there were some very late nights! Not wanting to miss anything!
What is one of your favorite memories from your summer at the School of French?
Definitely the theatre workshop! I’ve always loved French and have always loved theatre, so to be able to have these two loves combined — it was heaven! The close knit community formed by all the students in the theatre production was wonderful! And being able to work on pronunciation in French via theatre was super special! I also really loved writing for each issue of La Gazette, the School of French’s weekly language newspaper. I’ve always enjoyed writing, and always loved French, so again, to be able to do those two things — writing and French — together was awesome! And both the theatre directors (Gaëll and Marc) and the communication director/Gazette editor (Connor) were THE BEST! And I can’t forget doing a radio interview with Mai, a program assistant who asked questions about Senegal to Mariama, a master’s student from Senegal, and to me, from when I’d lived, studied and worked in Senegal during undergrad a long time ago! So much fun!
What advice would you give someone wanting to attend the School of French?
Do it! Absolutely positively DO IT! Don’t hesitate! It’s going to be the best, or one of the best, experiences of your life!
What are you up to now?
I’m in my final year of teaching French and English at West Allis Central High School, and then I am going to RETIRE!!! And I hope to come back to Middlebury to complete the master’s program!!! I already have three master’s degrees, but so loved being here during the summer to study French purely for the joy and delight, and for me alone (no lessons to prepare, no grading to do), that I decided I definitely want to retire and come back to experience more of the richness and excellence of the professors and enthusiasm of the other students in Middlebury’s master’s program!
You can connect with Jeanne or one of our other School of French immersion ambassadors.
Applications open on November 3, 2025 for our immersion and graduate programs at the School of French.
Gather your materials to apply here.
