When veteran French teacher Jennifer Walker retired in December, the school administration worked quickly to find a suitable replacement. Dr. Malika Alaoui’s extensive resume made her an obvious choice for the job.

“I’ve worked at UCF, Kansas State University, and I am still a professor at Eastern Florida State College,” Alaoui said. “I’ve never taught high school before. I love teaching, and I like the students. I love how different it is. I like how different the imaginations of the students are. I like the ideas they come up with, and I am even learning from them.”

Students have noticed a difference in teaching methods between their two French instructors.

“[Alaoui] focuses more on the grammatical aspects of the language, while Mrs. Walker focused more on the cultural aspects,” freshman Olivia Thompson said.

Students have been able to benefit from the new approach.

“I like how she is very interactive with us,” sophomore Emma Welman said. “And she doesn’t get mad if you make a mistake and she helps you so that you will understand it the next time. I also like how she doesn’t move on from a subject until we fully understand it.”

The change in teachers also presents the student with new challenges.

“The most challenging part is her speaking French to us the whole time,” Thompson said. “The students aren’t native like she is, so it’s more difficult to understand. But I believe eventually we will understand her and the language more because of it.”

By Krystal Macom