By Kevin C. Shannahan
Lincoln Parish had an impressive showing at the 2023 Louisiana Foreign Language Teachers Association Conference.
Over 150 foreign language teachers from throughout Louisiana gathered at the Natchitoches Events Center January 13-14 for their annual conference. The association is for teachers of world languages at every level from pre-k through college in Louisiana.
The teachers attended workshops and browsed vendor’s offerings. The Consulat General de France from the French Consulate in New Orleans also visited with the conference’s teachers.
Spanish is the most common language taught in Louisiana schools with approximately 80,000 students, followed by French and German. Other languages such as Mandarin and ancient languages such as Latin are also offered in some schools. It is possible for a student to earn a “seal of biliteracy” on his or her high school diploma, a most valuable credential, first offered in 2014.
Lincoln Parish schools were well represented at the conference, with eight teaches in attendance, including association president Corinne Nutt of Ruston High School. Other Lincoln Parish teachers were Anne Rivera and Lauren Barnes of Ruston High, Lisa Keys of I.A. Lewis, Mandy Brown, principal of Glenview Elementary School, Sarah Nolan and Karla Rodriguez of Glenview, and Aude DeLa Perell of Ruston Elementary School.
From immersion schools in which much of the children’s day is spent using the language taught, to conventional high school courses, the teachers of the LFLTA are providing an invaluable service to our state’s young people.
