Kennesaw State Assistant Professor of French Abigail Alexander has been breaking down the barriers of learning by practicing individualized approaches for every student.
In the classroom, Alexander said she wants students to encounter something that makes them excited about the French language. With her use of diverse and interesting methods, she hopes to tailor the class to students’ passions.
“I want to help students — help them learn how to think, not tell them what to think,” Alexander said. “That’s a really important goal of mine. I want to inspire them to broaden their horizons and diversify their areas of interest. I think that’s something I’m really grateful for from my own education.”
Most recently, Alexander has been working on a translation of “Nous,” the second installment of French philosopher Tristan Garcia’s trilogy. With this project, she said she hopes to inspire non-native speakers of the French language with the universal messages found throughout the book.
Alexander has wanted students to use the time they have in college to truly discover what awakens the researcher within themselves. She said she wants to provide students with a more precise curiosity, meaning that they will pursue knowledge pertaining to their own interests. A personal desire to learn is something she took away from her own college experience.
Alexander wants students to be able to asks their own questions in French, but it can be a challenge for students. She said that one of the biggest difficulties when teaching French is to speak it continuously without relying on English words, and even Alexander struggles with it sometimes.
One thing Alexander has not struggled with is her transition to KSU. It is only her second semester since starting in Fall 2019, but she said she thoroughly enjoys it.
“I have really loved the students here, so much,” Alexander said. “The student body has been really well-prepared and energetic and kind.”
Formerly, Alexander taught at John Hopkins and at the University of Southern Indiana. She said the size difference is astounding, and that it is rare for a university as large as KSU to still be growing.
Alexander said that KSU has offered her time to do what she loves most of being a professor.
“The first semester here I got a one course release … so I really appreciate the opportunity to balance both, which KSU is giving me,” Alexander said. “It’s also rare … having the time to do both of those [research and teach] it has been incredible.”
Her love of French began when in third grade, and she said she was really lucky to be in a school that started teaching kids French at such a young age.
From then on, her passion for French led her down her path to becoming an educator. Many of her role models are people she loved, teachers and family, who had a careers in education that they loved and got gratification out of. She knew she would find fulfillment, too.