For nearly 30 years, the Foreign Language Enrichment through Schools (FLES) program at Upper Dublin High School has offered accomplished high school foreign language students a unique, hands-on teaching experience to enhance their language skills, develop leadership abilities, and offer insights into the field of education.
The inspiration for the program came from Janice Frohner, a former department chair, who had an enlightening experience teaching German to a class at Fort Washington Elementary School. "The young students were so enthusiastic that I proposed we develop a course where high school students could visit elementary schools and teach the language they were studying," Frohner recalls. Initially introduced as a minor course, the program was eventually fully integrated into the curriculum, with students now dedicating three extended periods each week to teaching and preparing lessons over a six-week course taught by French teacher Christine Jones and Latin teacher Traci Dougherty.
Students enrolled in FLES create interactive, engaging lessons designed to make language learning fun for younger students. Their lessons often start and end with a song, and each session includes a cultural fact about the countries utilizing that language. High school students teach in French, German, Latin, and Spanish, sharing vocabulary through games like charades, bingo, pictionary, Simon Says, and scavenger hunts. These activities are designed to keep elementary students engaged while also helping them learn the basics of a new language.
For students in the program, the experience is both challenging and rewarding. Madden Reilly, a senior who has been studying Spanish for three years, shared, "Being able to prepare and present my own lesson plans for the students has taught me that each and every student has their own needs and way of learning that need to be met in each lesson. While this can be challenging, I have learned to test out many different activities so that each student feels comfortable participating, while also learning the vocabulary."
For senior Tyler Vanderhoek, the program has helped hone his future aspirations. He shared, “This experience has impacted me in many ways. It helped me clarify that I want to be an Elementary School teacher. I also found that I admire children very much, and teaching them brings me lots of happiness, and I want to help them grow.”
Upper Dublin has already benefited directly from this pipeline to education. Kristine Doherty, a kindergarten teacher at Maple Glen, is an Upper Dublin alumna and credits the program as one of her early inspirations to pursue a career in education. "FLES was a wonderful experience for me!” shared Doherty. “ I loved working with children and getting a taste of teaching while still in high school because it confirmed what I knew I always wanted to do! I have been an elementary teacher for 20 years now!"
“It is amazing to see my students in this real-world setting and to see some of them find their calling in education. And regardless if they pursue teaching, they develop exceptional public speaking and organizational skills through this experience,” said French and FLES teacher Christine Jones.
“Being in FLES for the past two years, I have gotten the exact experience I need as I want to be a teacher when I am older,” said Madden Reilly. “This program has allowed me to create lesson plans and teach students, while also having the support of fellow classmates and teachers who are experienced in the field.”
