Curiosity and Valérie Dubé

The Newman School welcomes a new French teacher this school year, Valérie Dubé. She is a distinguished academic in her field, constantly immersing herself in new languages and learning curriculums both at and outside of school. She taught at many other schools across New England and helped create different education programs. Dubé brings knowledge and experiences that promise to enrich the Newman community.

She relates, “I am someone who loves languages, who tries to convey that passion to students. I have spent much of my teaching years thinking about how language acquisition shapes your personality, how your voice can change a bit, when speaking different languages, and how the cultures that go along with those languages become a part of your world in a very concrete way.”

Dubé clearly shares a passion and curiosity with her subject. She doesn’t only spend time with it in school but also outside of school. She currently speaks four languages (English, French, Spanish, and Italian) and is learning two more (Portuguese and German). Of course, she is more than happy to share some language-learning tips with the Newman community. 

“I think that I was lucky: for me learning those languages was easy. I saw it as a game, like a fun challenge. I loved all the words I learned; I thought the words were pretty, and I thought they were worthy of my attention. I was happy to integrate them and it just flowed. Of course, there's some effort behind it. I'm not saying I never worked on any conjugations or memorization. I know language acquisition is not easy for all, however, it is my role to provide as many tricks and techniques as possible to my students, so that it becomes more feasible,” she explains.

Just because one shares an interest in one's subject, doesn’t mean that one is a good teacher. Experience counts too. Dubé has plenty of it, teaching for many years and experiencing different curricula. She even helped create different education programs. 

She describes, “Having taught from K through 12, I have been called upon to create or renew different curricula. Modern language education should be dynamic and immersive, highlighting culture and a connection to the real world. If the student is made to feel like a participant in the French-speaking world, for example, as a speaker, they will gain ownership of their language acquisition. With the help of technology, we can reach all parts of the world. An updated curriculum spends ample time celebrating the diversity of cultures and accents from different countries that use one language, rather than focusing on the one country from which that language emerged.”

Having seen and experienced so many different schools across New England, Dubé can truly see what makes Newman so special.

“The diversity of the student body charmed me completely, from the very first week of September. This diversity is celebrated at Newman, and I find that refreshing. I have found at Newman wonderful students who were ready to start working from day one, and who demonstrated intellectual rigor and a desire to learn. There is a wonderful emphasis on meeting our students’ needs here; teachers meet weekly to talk about student’s holistic well-being, but also about anything that requires immediate attention, to ensure students’ success. In my view, those meetings are necessary., and they are really well conducted.” she reveals.

Dubé shared her curiosities outside of Newman but what does she want to learn at Newman?

She remarks, “This might seem like a simple answer, but I’m curious about seeing how the rest of the school year unfolds. I have enjoyed partaking in the different activities that were offered since the beginning of the year, like Parents’ Back to School night, or when we went to clean the banks of the Charles River, Field Day, the special dress days, the Celebration of Lights, or listening to the different speakers we have had at the Assembly. I find out a lot about the school’s culture through those events. Getting to know everybody has been marvelous. I am a big fan of “heart-to-heart” conversations, so I feel like I am in my element. For now, my main curiosity is to have a general and complete idea of what the school year is like at Newman.”

With language skills, diverse experiences with curricula and learning programs, and a genuine commitment to fostering an inclusive learning environment, Valérie Dubé promises to be a vibrant addition to the Newman School community.