French students said ‘Au Revoir’ to Madame Brown when she left halfway through the year, leaving French students in much despair. But do not fret French students, a new teacher has arrived. Her name is Iga Leszczynska, or as her students call her, Madame L. She took over Monday February 7th, whereas she previously taught at Kolbe Cathedral.
“I started learning French in high school and I just fell in love with the language and from there I knew that I wanted to be a French teacher. I chose a French major and I also traveled many times to France. I did my Ph.D. in French as well, I researched all over the world and I went to Canada and France. In the end, it’s a passion of mine.” said Leszczynska.
French is not the only language Leszczynska knows, “Spanish is similar to French so I learned that as well and then Portuguese. Every day I speak English, Polish, French, and Spanish. But I also know some Russian, Czech, and Portuguese.”
While Leszczynska was getting all the paperwork in order, Jesse Caron and Lisa Peterson filled in for her. Caron teaches French 1 and 2 and Peterson is the head of the World Language Department. Switching schools in the middle of the year can be challenging but Leszczynska said, “I love Masuk, I feel welcome. I like my students, of course, it’s nice here and there’s a very welcoming atmosphere.” When asked about Masuk in general she responded with,
“I like the building, the cafeteria, it’s so big. It’s a lot different and bigger than Kolbe Cathedral…And all the programs they offer at Masuk. There are so many sports to choose from, there’s lots of different activities and clubs at Masuk for everyone, even a newspaper.”
Although the French students miss Madame Brown, Madame Leszczynska is already well-liked by her students. Andreea Rusu, a Sophomore in Honors French four, said,
“We’ve only had her twice but I feel like she makes sure that everyone is focused by having each person say their response out loud. Both teachers call on people randomly to make sure that they’re engaged, but specifically for speaking Madame L has us write sentences, and then each says them out loud. She also uses the whiteboard more than Madame Brown.”
Madame L fits in nicely with the Masuk community, and we are excited to have her teach French. Let’s say ‘Au revoir’ to Madame Brown and ‘bonjour’ to Madame L. While their teaching styles may differ, their passion for French and teaching is the same.
Masuk Free Press 