Faculty and Staff
-
Vendula
-
Anne
-
Oumar
-
Roger
-
Manon
-
Josiane
-
Mason
Vendula
TEACHER
In my free time I play the piano and I read a lot. I am very inclined towards music and literature so my lessons contain lots of them. I consider learning through rhymes as an easy and non-violent way to memorize the vocabulary. Learning a language should, in my opinion, not only allow you to order coffee once you are abroad, but it should also be an entire esthetic experience. Being from Eastern Europe, I can observe how intense contacts between France and the East were, particularly between France and Russia. Therefore learning French is a way to preserve our European cultural heritage.
Anne
TEACHER
A former resident of Paris, Anne Babson spent the first six years of her professional life speaking, reading and writing French. She studied French Literature and Writing at Sarah Lawrence College, where she obtained her BA. She spent an academic year at the University of Paris (VII Jussieu) followed by two years working for an international professional school on the Rive Droite. She returned to the United States and obtained a Masters’ degree from The City College of New York, where she studied under Marilyn Hacker, a world-famous poet who teaches both in New York and Paris. Anne’s award-winning poetry has been published on five continents, and her books are available in bookstores throughout New Orleans and online. She teaches at L’Union and Southeastern Louisiana University as she pursues doctoral studies in medieval French and English literature.
Anne joined L’Union Française in 2018. With her keen knowledge of French culture and history, she brings the literary and intellectual traditions of the salon into her language courses and French book club.
Oumar
TEACHER
Oumar grew up in Senegal where he studied French language and literature. He received a French Baccalaureate with a major in English and a minor in French Studies at the University of Dakar.
His French teaching experience includes the Suffolk University of Dakar and more recently the Harriet Tubman Charter School in New Orleans and the Concordia Lutheran School in Marrero. Oumar currently teaches math at the International School of New Orleans. A passionate follower of French letters and ideas, Oumar's literary interests include the romantic poets Victor Hugo and Alfred de Musset as well as the Existentialist philosopher Sartre and his critic Albert Camus.
Since moving to New Orleans in 2012, Oumar has co-founded a local French language meetup group as well as les Francophones de Nola, a Facebook social page dedicated to events for French speakers in New Orleans and around the world.
Based on interactive models of teaching, Oumar’s classes are friendly, lively, and accessible to all different levels of French learners. Oumar fosters playful collaborative learning and invites students’ active participation.
Roger
TEACHER
The multi-talented Roger was born in 1946 in Vietnam, then French Indochina, where as a child, he and his family witnessed many turbulent years of war. Educated at French schools in Saigon, Roger was exposed to numerous cultures while travelling to places such as India, Egypt, Cambodia, Hong Kong, and Japan. At 21, his family left Vietnam for the suburbs of Paris. Roger holds a degree in Literature and Modern French from the Sorbonne.
Roger’s love affair with Louisiana began when he was sent to Louisiana as a teacher with CODOFIL. In his many years as an instructor, he has taught numerous subjects, including French, Culinary Arts, Latin, and visual art. In 1985, Roger achieved his dream of becoming an American citizen. After nine years working for the French Consulat of New Orleans, he joined the L’Union Française faculty in 1991. Roger’s classes reflect his many passions: French language as well as its literature and cuisine.
Manon
TEACHER
A native speaker of French, Manon moved to New Orleans in 2016. In addition to l’Union Française, she has taught French at Cathedral Montessori and as a private tutor. Manon’s background includes art and art history, and she has led creative workshops in various schools and art academies in Europe for both children and adults. In the last ten years, she has lived in France, Germany, and Switzerland.
Manon looks forward to sharing her knowledge of French language and culture, and believes that making mistakes is part of the beauty of learning. She is excited to live in New Orleans and Louisiana as centers of Francophone and Caribbean culture. When it comes to teaching, she finds inspiration in this quote from Christian Bobin: « L’art suprême consiste à savoir donner sa langue au chat. »
A cinephile who has a real passion for movies, Manon channels that passion into her French Cinema Class which examines film, directors, and cinematic language.
Josiane
SCHOOL DIRECTOR & TEACHER
In 1981, Josiane came to Louisiana from Belgium as a French teacher with CODOFIL. Three years later, she began in the New Orleans Public Schools where she was certified to teach multiple subjects, including physics, chemistry, math, technology, and French. After Hurricane Katrina, Josiane taught physics and chemistry at Helen Cox High. There she met former L’Union Française President Kay Kerr.
Josiane has been teaching French at L’Union Française since 2013. She encourages her students to have fun while learning, and her classes are known for their wine and cheese breaks. She also enjoys exploring the cultural differences between France and her native Belgium in her classroom. Her classes tend to fill up quickly!!
Mason
Administrative Assistant
Mason was born and raised in New Orleans. He began learning French at the age of 5 and continued to study French until earning his B.A. in French from LSU in 2018. During his undergraduate program Mason was lucky enough to spend a semester in Strasbourg and a month in Barcelonnette, a small town in the French Alps. While in Barcelonnette, Mason spent a week-long stage concocting Genepy, the local Alpine liqueur, with a local producer.
Based on this formative experience, Mason prefers to explore local and global Francophone cultures through the lens of community around the dinner table, local spirits, and music. Along with some friends, Mason started a small, informal French club focused on these values, creating a space to practice French and sample global recipes.