Senior Yael Tessler Selected for Teaching Assistantship Program in France

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Yael Tessler

MACON – Mercer University senior Yael Tessler was recently accepted into the Teaching Assistantship Program in France (TAPIF), where she will teach primary English for seven months during the 2018-2019 academic year.

A joint initiative of the French Ministry of Education, the Centre international d’études pédagogiques and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the program’s goal is to strengthen English language instruction in French schools by establishing a native speaker presence while also providing American Francophiles with excellent teaching experience and firsthand knowledge of French language and culture.

Tessler, from Johns Creek, is a double-major in French and history with minors in English and statistics.

“I am incredibly excited for this opportunity to spend the next seven months building interpersonal relationships across cultures, while gaining experience teaching,” said Tessler.

She plans to use her time spent teaching abroad to determine which course of study she would like to pursue in graduate school.

She is active in Phi Alpha Theta, Phi Sigma Eta, Phi Sigma Iota, and serves on the staff of the University’s literary and art magazine, The Dulcimer. She also plays roller derby with the Middle Georgia Derby Demons in Macon.

“We are so proud that Yael was chosen for TAPIF. With her strong background in history and French and her extensive experience abroad, she is an ideal candidate,” said Dr. Anna Weaver, associate professor and chair of foreign languages and literatures. “She will be able to share her own culture with her students while also learning from them. We wish her bon voyage et bon courage.”

TAPIF allows more than 1,100 American citizens and permanent residents to teach each year in public schools across all of metropolitan France as well as in overseas regions such as Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion. For more information, visit highereducation.frenchculture.org/teach-in-france.