Sylvie Escande and Shih-Ying Yang, Harvard Edm ’94
With degrees from the Sorbonne in France, McGill in Canada, and Harvard in the USA, I have spent my entire life learning, culturally, linguistically, and professionally. I have taught students across all age groups: toddlers, adolescents, working professionals, and seniors.
As my student, you become part of a community that is curious, cosmopolitan, and intellectual. Language never occurs in isolation; to that end, I organize trips to France and Quebec as well as local immersion weekends.
I am quintessentially French, and unapologetically American – the best of both worlds.
I was born and raised in the south of France and received my Bachelor’s degree in International Studies at the University of Sorbonne located in the Latin Quarter, the intellectual and cultural center of Paris.
When life brought me to North America, I suddenly found myself, at 30 years old, having to learn English, fast. And that’s exactly what I did.
Despite the trials and tribulations of learning a new language in a foreign country, I excelled academically, first at McGill University where I received my second Bachelor’s degree in Teaching French as a World Language then graduating with a Master’s degree in Linguistics at Harvard University.
I have lived on three continents and taught French for 35 years throughout the USA, Canada, South America, and Turkey. I speak four languages (English, French, Spanish and German) and am currently based in Orange County, Southern California.
I welcome mistakes when teaching a language. I encourage my students to ask questions, to try different ways of expressing themselves, and to not be afraid of making mistakes. When I first studied English, I made countless errors, some of which had hilarious though mostly harmless consequences. These faux pas allowed me to improve, and more importantly, taught me not to be too hard on myself. My teaching philosophy is mistakes over perfection.
When I usher in the same spirit in my classroom, students feel comfortable knowing that mistakes are an inevitable part of language learning. In a broader sense, my students have comprehended early on an essential life lesson: don’t be afraid to fail. There are do-overs.
