Teacher Highlight: Madame Grim Spending Year in Paris
Grace Milone
Staff Writer
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Madame Grim has been accepted to a program associated with Middlebury College which allows her to study in France to receive her master’s degree during the 2020-21 school year. Due to her participation in the program, Madame will not be teaching at CV next year, but will return the previous year.
“It’s called Middlebury College Master of Arts which consists of 6 weeks in Vermont and 1 year in Paris,” Madame Grim said.
“The program allows you to get your master’s degree for 6 summers for 6 weeks at a time or 6 weeks and then an academic year in Paris. I chose the second part which is 6 weeks over the summer in Vermont and then the full academic year in Paris,” Madame Grim said.
For many years Madame Grim has wanted to apply for the program. She chose to complete the application when it was a good point in her life to make the move even if it meant waiting 20 years for the opportunity.
“In 1997 I first discovered it when I was looking to go back to school to become a teacher and to do my teacher certification. I discovered it then, but I had an infant son and it wasn’t the right time. I researched it and I actually started the application and then I stopped it because it was completely unrealistic at that time in my life,” Madame Grim said.
With this program, Madame is eligible to receive her master’s degree while embracing what the country has to teach her. Madame shared the experiences she is most eager to encounter.
“Being immersed in the culture and language and learning/relearning things about the culture that I can’t learn on the Internet. I know their culture has evolved since I last lived there in 1989,” Madame Grim said. “[And] becoming more of a resident than a tourist because every other time I’ve been to France it’s been me being a tourist,” Madame Grim said.
Despite the excitement of a new environment and the wonderful experience of learning first hand, Grim has mixed feelings about the move.
“I’m extremely nervous, super nervous. Change is difficult at any age and the culture shock is scary to me. Change is scary,” Madame Grim said.
The CV community is very proud and excited for the journey Madame will begin, but she will be missed immensely by students and staff. Regardless, CV is thrilled for Madame to be able to experience this wonderful program and fulfill something she has been wanting to do for a long time.