by Lauren Mitchell, features editor
After a culturally immersive French experience living in Africa (Benin, Uganda, South Africa and Zambia) for 14 years, Madame Michelle Dubreuil Macek joined the River Hill community in September of 2016 and has been striving as a new Hawk ever since. Her immense background and experience within the French culture allow Madame’s students to reach their full potential within French learning, creating an engaging learning environment for RHHS students.
Madame Dubreuil grew up in Connecticut, attending Albertus Magnus College with a degree in French and Education, eventually earning her Master’s degree soon after at Middlebury College in Vermont. Madame Dubreuil has always loved France and French culture. Ever since she was offered the opportunity to go, Madame dropped learning Italian for French during her sophomore year of high school. After receiving the opportunity to attend an exchange program in France, Madame was immediately hooked.
Madame lived in Africa for 14 years first in Benin on a prestigious Fulbright scholarship to teach, where she met her husband and learned how to be a risk taker. When asked whether or not her life in Africa strengthened or weakened her French skills, Madame replies that the experience “definitely strengthened them just by the virtue of being immersed in the culture… I learned a whole different way of communicating in a different cultural context.” conveying how beneficial and rewarding the journey to Africa was, as living in Benin is a francophone country. The exploration of Africa explains why Madame’s favorite topic of French to teach is the culture of francophone countries.
Living in Africa for 14 years influences Madame to teach her students more about culture, allowing them to love French just as much as she does. Mia Medic, a sophomore in Madame’s French 3 class, said that “her experience in Africa made her skills better because there are a lot of French-influenced places in Africa and she had a lot of exposure to that while she was there.”
Madame believes her experience so far teaching at River Hill has stood out because it is her “first time teaching full time in America since 1995, so I have been able to see how the education system has evolved over the past 20 years.”
The students at River Hill have truly enjoyed learning in Madame Dubreuil classroom since she creates a more upbeat learning environment that’s shown through every lesson. Kathryn Spurrier, a Junior in Madame’s French 4 class expressed that what she likes best about the class and Mme. Dubreuil is “she is really invested in immersing her students in the French culture and teaching them about the country’s history.”
In her free time, Madame loves to immerse herself in another culture- dance. She teaches multiple cultural dance classes including a biodanza class and qigong, both of which are forms of creative movement. Madame is a full-time teacher and full-time mom, but she still finds time for dance, which is one of her biggest passions.
Madame’s first year teaching was “a little bit difficult at first…but the students were very welcoming, my colleagues were very welcoming, and I had a great year sharing my Africa experience with my students and my thirty-one years of teaching French. It was a great year.” After teaching part-time at Oakland Mills and Hammond high school, Madame is having a great experience teaching full time here at River Hill.River Hill students and faculty are extremely excited for another year with Madame Dubreuil.