How do we put on paper all the leadership that Judy Dubois brings to the language teaching table? I think it’s quite impossible. But let’s try:
For starters, just do search of her name here. Then read some of the things she has shared with us. Judy is articulate, extremely well read, a great teacher who has turned at least some educators in France (something impossible) over to TPRS/CI. She is the founder of the Agen conference, and close buddies with a lot of CI teachers in the U.S. including Sabrina and Lynette who have shared their thoughts on what it is like to work with Judy below.
How cool is it to think that besides Martin Anders in Germany, Judy can be said to be the pioneer in language education reform in Europe. I believe that. If CI ever takes hold in Europe, it will be because of Martin and Judy and other heavy hitters like Jason Bond in Scotland, Martin quietly working locally in Germany and Judy working more visibly globally in France. My prediction is that Agen will become a focal point of the change in Europe. It already has.
Well, that description barely scratched the surface of all Judy has done to share this work with others. The main thing that I have noticed in her comments here over many years is how they are housed in authority and experience. Judy gets this work. I can’t imagine how alone she has been all these years in what could be the most left brain dominant country in the world!
Judy’s son, Daniel, one of the instructors (of the Breton language!) at the Agen conference, is definitely proof that Judy knows what she is doing, because he is French and he embraces CI. What an odd thing to say, a person born in France who embraces CI! I don’t even know where Judy is from but I think she is from somewhere in the United States. That’s what it would take for France to get this work – a Trojan Horse maneuver and Judy has been doing that for years.
Sabrina has been one of the presenters at Agen for a few years. She says:
Judy is very bright, articulate and really trying to spread CI throughout France and Europe. She teaches EFL to adults and they love her. Even though she is not a native speaker of French, she went back to school in France where she obtained her aggregation (a very hard to get certificate to become a teacher in a public school in France) and went on to teach high school in Agen. I’m not sure when she began to teach using CI.
On a personal note, she is crazy about horses, that IS her real love. She rides them everyday and just loves them. Daniel her son teaches Breton using CI and is really good at it. She is from the Midwest, I don’t remember which state though.
Lynette:
I’ve known Judy Dubois for a long time. I’ve been in her home, I’ve been in her classroom, she has welcomed me into her world in many ways. And I owe her much. I am truly thankful for Judy’s contribution into my life. We have worked together, we have organized student exchange groups together, and we have put on workshops together. Judy is first and foremost very dedicated to the task at hand whatever it maybe. She’s also an equine lover and people must know that that is very central to who she is. She understands that communication with animals has many parallels with humans learning to acquire a second language. Judy is also gracious – she and her husband François open their doors to many. In their home there is much laughter and feasting thanks to François’ culinary talents. Lastly Judy is really funny, but she doesn’t always mean to be funny. She’s funny because she can be the epitome of an absent minded professor. She is the best!