Bonjour! I am Susanne Hirsch,  French Immersion and Algebra teacher at the Language Academy since 1996.
I grew up in France, in the Paris suburbs near Orly, where I did my elementary and secondary schooling.
After coming to the United States at the age of eighteen to attend university, I obtained a B.A. in Mathematics, a Ph.D. in German literature, and a Master's degree in French.
I am a firm believer in Immersion education: both my children went through the French Immersion program, then located at Knox Elementary School, and continued their study of French in High School and college.
Christopher (28) just finished his Ph.D. in Neurocognitive Sciences at MIT, and was married on August 9th. He and his wife live in Los Angeles.
Christina (26) graduated in Anthropology from U.C. Santa Cruz and manages the Global Classroom program for the World Affairs Council in Seattle.
My own interests are travel (the West Coast, Europe), cinema (French films, naturally), and reading (murder mysteries, mostly).
As a teacher, my guiding principle is: If it hasn't been learned, then it hasn't been taught. Thus, I focus on individual students' needs, strengths, and learning styles.
My goal in Algebra is to prepare my students to qualify for, and be successful in, Geometry or Honors Geometry in 9th grade.
My objective in French Language Arts is to develop my students' skills as communicators (oral and written), and their knowledge and appreciation of Francophone culture.