Teacher discovers love for the language of love early on

French teacher Laura Lizundia never expected she would do what she does. It just so happened that way.

“In seventh grade, we were given the option to take either Spanish or French and I chose French for no particular reason—little did I know that my random choice would eventually lead to my current profession,” French teacher Laura Lizundia said.

Lizundia said that she “knew French would have to figure into any future job” she would take after spending her junior year of college in France.

“I went to France to study at the Universite de Montpellier, in southern France,” Lizundia said. “I was completely immersed in French at school and also outside of school. My goal in studying abroad was to improve my spoken French and experience living in another country.”

Lizundia said that her experiences in France gave her what she would never have been able to pick up from a textbook.

“I learned so much about the people and culture; I was excited to share my experiences with others,” Lizundia said. “Back in the States, I went to grad school in French Literature.”

Lizundia, who comes from a long line of teachers in her family, said she had always considered teaching a viable job option in the back of her mind. However, she said that before delving into the world of education, she wanted to experiment with other jobs.

“After working various jobs in San Francisco for two years, I realized I did not like working in an office,” Lizundia said. “I worked nine months for a global non-profit, interned at the SF Bay Guardian and held a variety of temp[orary] jobs in law offices. I wasn’t really using my French much and I missed interacting with lots of people and the routine of school. So, I returned to school, got a degree in secondary education and here I am 20 years later!”

Lizundia said she finds teaching very rewarding, especially teaching a foreign language.

“The great thing about teaching a language is that it’s about so much more than teaching the mechanics of the language (vocabulary, grammar, etc.),” Lizundia said. “It’s about learning a new culture and ways of thinking about the world at large.”

Lizundia said that some of her best teaching days are when things don’t go as expected.

“My favorite part about teaching is that every day is different,” Lizundia said. “I always have a daily plan for my classes, but sometimes that plan can take interesting turns depending on how students react to it, understand it, etc. Some of my best teaching days are those in which I have to throw out my original plans and think on my feet.”

Lizundia said her love for teaching stemmed from her appreciation of French.

“French is also just a beautiful language to listen to and speak,” Lizundia said.