Roy Edelstein writes about his 12th grade foreign language teacher, Ms. Mohanty.
Ms. Mohanty taught us about art, music, philosophy, and life --all through French. On our first day together she informed us that we would speak only French in class, a challenge that seemed impossible at the time. She held us to it. But from there on my memories of class have little to do with the language, and are all about engaging in culture, appreciating beauty, and thinking about life's meaning.
She hooked us with the most exciting material. Almost twenty years later I still savor memories of reading existentialist authors and struggling with my peers to understand what we thought about their ideas. I remember closing my eyes in class to listen to a record of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony --after finishing the Andre Gide novel by the same title. To this day I turn to that piece of music as one of the most beautiful strolls I know. And I am still moved and inspired by the impressionist and cubist artists I first studied in that class. And all in French.
I also still laugh when I recall my confusion as Ms. Mohanty discussed with absolute sincerity a short story I found completely incomprehensible. As she explained it I had no idea what she was talking about until I suddenly realized that the characters whom she was discussing as if they were real people were actually ghosts!Ok, so apparently my French wasn't perfect, especially when the subject turned to the supernatural.
The woman simply sparkled. I hope she still does. She was so passionate and excited and committed to us and to the ideas we were discussing that it was impossible not to be drawn in, despite the language barrier. Plus she was a bundle of style and individuality. Her wardrobe, as I remember it, included some bright reds or oranges --maybe even orange shoes or sneakers that always struck me as 'out there'. She was totally herself and totally about living life fully in her uniqueness. I hope she is still doing all of this!
I am now almost 20 years older than I was then. I am proud that my high school French is still passable --my comprehension is strong and despite my rusty grammar and unabashed American accent I am relatively understandable. But what I really got from Ms. Mohanty, and where she made the biggest difference in my life, was in offering me a solid base of appreciation for philosophy and literature, and in modeling for me a zest for culture and thinking that shaped my life experiences thereafter.
Thank you Ms. Mohanty!I hope you are still sharing your contagious enthusiasm with students today. And I wish for you the joy of knowing that I have shared with many others the enthusiasm you modeled for me.
