The French language, when spoken, fills ears with an elegant, smooth sounding tone. French teacher Emily Cain shows this throughout her teaching style and personality shown to the students.

The welcoming environment is clear to junior Caris Bryd, a former French 3 student, who said she has always felt at ease and comfort when talking to or around Cain. 

“I think the most interesting thing about Cain is how involved she is with her students. It is very easy to talk about things as long as she isn’t actively teaching and she always makes French Club meetings fun,” said Bryd.

Cain’s bond with her students goes beyond the classroom routine, but a reflection of a dream she’s carried since childhood, a dream of speaking another language that has never left her side. 

“When I was little, I always wanted to speak another language. I thought French was the prettiest so we went from there. It wasn’t the most profound thought process, but I’ve never looked back,” said Cain.

 Cain not only connects with her students but also encourages them to connect and talk with one another through French conversations. Her class has interactive, hands-on activities in which students find to be both engaging and effective. 

Both Bryd and junior Shelby Stevens, a current French 3 student, agreed that the interactive approach to teaching helps shape the class environment and experience.   

“One thing I loved doing in French was definitely the interactive assignments or lessons. For example, sometimes we would play card/board games to help with learning directions or vocab. Sometimes we would also roll dice and write on a white board to learn conjugations,” said Byrd.

And while her students light up over games and conversations, Cain finds her own joy in details like grammar quirks, history behind the words, and surprising connections between the languages. 

 “The more niche it is, the more I tend to enjoy it,” said Cain. 

Her love of history connects to her fascination with French-speaking regions, especially places like New Orleans. 

 “I am interested in going to New Orleans to look at the Francophone culture there, to see the vital linguistic efforts there that are trying to preserve French, but in New England, there are French speakers in New England as well. I’m interested in places like Belgium and Luxembourg and other Francophone countries in Europe,” said Cain.

She knows not every student will love French, but that has never caused to give up on them. Her career has brought unexpected joys, including the chance to travel. 

 “Something I enjoy doing in my spare time, definitely traveling. That’s been, I don’t know if I want to say unexpected, bonus to what I chose to do. But going through college, I wasn’t sure how often I would get to and I’ve been blessed with that,” said Cain.

Cain’s passion for travelling seems to rub off on many of her students, too.

 “… I would live in France for a year if I could. I want to see how I would do with active conversations in French and I want to see how life is there,” said Byrd.

Like Bryd, Stevens also connects the idea of living in French to the environment. 

“I think it would be another way to learn more French and more about the French environment, and it could help get used to how French people actually speak,” said Stevens.

While her students dream about living abroad, Cain reflects on her own journey with the language. Even though she has been teaching for a few years, she admits that she still does not feel perfect.

“I’ve always been a perfectionist, and I never thought I would be fluent enough to do what I do. I’ll always improve my French, but I think I’ve gotten to a level I never thought I would. Just trust the process, you’ll get there,” said Cain.

The humility and determination carries over into her classroom. Students describe Cain as a teacher who balances fun with high standards. 

“A way I would describe Cain is that she can be fun and let you do a lot of things as long as you are respectful in her class and not disrupting. Also, do not do other class work in her class,” said Bryd

That reflects her own description of herself.

“I’m consistent. I would say I have high expectations, but I feel like I do my part to set you up to those expectations. I am really nerdy. I really enjoy French and getting to do what I do. So I know that isn’t necessarily true for all the students and French isn’t going to be everyone’s favorite class, but I’m going to do what I can to make your time in French worthwhile,” said Cain.

That same dedication shows up not only in how she teaches, but also in what she hopes for her students beyond academics. 

“I would like to see one of my students get baptized. I don’t want to say it like, ‘Oh, it needs to be like something as a result of the relationship that the student that I have.’ But yeah to see a student come to Christ would be something pretty up there for me,” said Cain.

For Cain, teaching French is not just about the language, but about leaving a lasting mark on her students’ lives.