•  Madame Cleary-Smith   

    Subject/Grade:French 1, 3, and 3 Honors

     

    Bonjour!  I am a 1998 West Chester Univ. graduate with a degree in secondary education, minor in French.  During my years at West Chester I traveled extensively throughout Europe and also had the opportunity to live in Belgium.  It was this opportunity that allowed me to become fluent in French.  
    A year after graduation, I worked as a French and Spanish teacher at a small Quaker school in Germantown, PA.  I then moved to Morris County, New Jersey where I taught middle school French for two years.  I decided I missed Pennsylvaia so much that we packed up and moved to Bucks county.  The rest is history.  I have been teaching in the Neshaminy School District since September 2004.  Last year I decided to go back to Arcadia University to attend graduate school to study a master's degree in Literacy Education. 

    I have three children.  My son, Logan, is 14, and my daughters, Lily and Chloe are 11 and 9.  They are very energetic kids that keep my on my toes!  My husband and I are Disney fans, beach fans, and we like to travel as much as possible, even if it's only an hour away to the Poconos. 

    I absolutely love my job as a teacher.  It's the everyday interaction that I appreciate.  The students make me laugh.  It is important to have a kind and nurturing atmosphere in class.  If this is difficult to achieve, then I will address the situation with the students and bring in parent participation as needed.  I always tell them from the beginning of the year that we are all non-native French speakers, therefore we all have accents when we speak. It is the everyday speaking in the target language that will ensure language acquisition.