Katherine Alexander
Biography
I was born and raised here, in Edmonton, Alberta in an entirely English-speaking family. We like to joke that it is precisely out of this lack of linguistic variety that my interest in learning languages was born -- I certainly didn't come by it "naturally"! After a rather shaky first experience with French as a mandatory class in elementary school, I rediscovered the excitement of other languages when gifted a Shakira CD not long after. It was that simple (and uncool, depending on who you ask)! The handful of Spanish-language songs that I recognized from their English versions made me want more than anything to be able to understand. I can be a bit indecisive in many ways, but I enrolled in French and Spanish courses, followed them throughout junior high school and high school and did not look back, ultimately tailoring my academic career to fit as much of each as I could. I even switched out of a Linguistics minor here at the U of A so that I could focus more on translation and literature courses! I was fortunate enough to be able to travel with my studies as well, spending time in both France and Spain. I've since returned to both, and several other places, and the feeling remains the same: I am never not enthralled at the prospect of understanding more or communicating better, in French or Spanish, which makes each interaction very fulfilling. It also makes language teaching all the more enjoyable, as I love to share this enthusiasm with my students!
What has surprised you about teaching remotely?
How engaged students are, even without an instructor physically circulating to monitor them! A language classroom inherently requires so much of them already, so I was a bit unsure of what to expect with all of the added newness of online delivery. I was pleasantly surprised not only to see students participating, but also to get to know them a little bit. Despite the necessary adaptation, the general environment didn't change as much as I feared it could.
What's the last book you read and loved?
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, although I'm currently reading Sans rien ni personne by Marie Laberge and enjoying it very much!
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Oh, the list is long! At the top of the list are more French- and Spanish- speaking countries: having spent the majority of my time in France and Spain, I'm very much feeling a pull to round out my experiences in that way. Although, obvious academic motivations aside, I have always wanted to visit Japan!
What 3 words best describe your experience as a teacher?
Enthusiastic, as I alluded to above, satisfying, as I derive immense joy from witnessing students "get it", whether the "it" in question is a word, phrase, or entire grammatical concept! And finally, neverending, as I am reminded each day that to teach is to be a perpetual learner as well.
What is your favourite word in French or Spanish?
The first word that came to mind is parapluie (umbrella), not only for how fun it is to pronounce, but also for the very literal etymology (to shield from the rain). It's nearly the same in Spanish: paraguas, although my favourite Spanish word is esperar: it can be used to mean "to hope" and also "to wait", and the confluence of those two ideas seems very symbolic to me!