Black mama to Black parent,
You don’t want to just plop your kid in front of some cartoons to learn French all the time. You want them to see themselves in what they’re learning: other Black children and learning from a qualified, #blackbilingualmama who has not only French teaching expertise, but also expertise in the ways in which Black children specifically get what they need for language. Seeing their reflection looking back at them makes it real that they can do this language thing. It is meant for them. It IS them.
No whitewashing, in fact it’s blackwashing, intentionally
No choosing not to consider the variety of ways our kids learn for the sake of a checklist
No ignoring the African heritage in French
I’m so excited to offer you a sneak peek into my curriculum with the Côte d’Ivoire Unit!   Since I began teaching in 2002, I have shifted my perspective and seen how there are certain aspects of Afrocentric curriculum that canNOT be ignored. Specifically, I’ve been looking more closely at the ways in which the “white gaze” negatively impacts not only how we speak day-to-day in English but also how we learn other languages.