Mon prof, Mr.Nauss

As I stood outside the classroom door of the very French teacher I’m writing this commendation on, I couldn’t help the sense of dread festering within me. Before my shoes even touched the cherry carpeted floor of Mr.Nauss’s classroom, the seed was long planted and festering within. Far gone in the rearview, was the version of myself excited for the possibilities that came with French class. Now, all that remained was a growing sense of anxious anticipation. I was ready to push through the two required years that I needed to graduate, and never look back.

Now, as a senior I find myself in an entirely different headspace, taking French 5 voluntarily, and looking forward to the class most days. This is all because of the French teacher that changed my perspective on how a foreign language class could be, Mr.Nauss.

The reasons a teacher like Mr.Nauss deserves to be recognized is not strictly limited to the ways he affected me as a brooding freshman. During our interview, his eyes seemed to glow with a passion for not just his subject, but also his students. Even simply reading the word for word transcript of our interview, paints the picture of a person who has found their way into the role suited perfectly for them.

When I asked Mr.Nauss what motivated him to be a high school French teacher, I assumed his reasoning would be fueled more so by his love for the French language than anything else. Something along the lines of, ‘I wanted to share my love for French’ or ‘Because knowing a foreign language is a valuable skill,’ but I was not shocked when his answer was more heartfelt.

“I always wanted to help people,” he said. “I saw Legally Blonde, of course, and then was like, ‘I’m gonna be Elle Woods, with my vegetarian Chihuahua.’”

And although he never found his way into the courtroom, Mr.Nauss received both a chihuahua named Chanel and a career he cited as the avenue that leaves him feeling fulfilled each day. Mr.Nauss is not just a good French teacher, he’s a kind-hearted and considerate person whose lesson plans and classroom environment reflect both his care for his students and the greater world around him.

The care that he places into building connections with his students, made learning French feel less clinical. It wasn’t just a worksheet, and quiz at the end of the week, he stressed the interpersonal aspect of both learning French, and being a part of a class. He cited these moments as being the ones he found the most rewarding,

“Just having those conversations.” he said “Sitting down with a cup of coffee and talking about what we're doing this weekend? What do you think about this, what is that, because it shows that you’re learning the language and that’s the goal of it.”

Similarly to the US, France as a nation has a deep rooted history of colonialism, class, and social issues. As a French teacher Mr.Nauss, has little to no true obligation in addressing the complex topics of racism, homophobia, and xenophobia in his foreign language’s native country. But, his unflinching efforts to discuss these difficult topics in his class reflects his desire to lift the curtain of secrecy for his students, and infuse in them a dynamic cultural understanding.

“You’re able to understand where people are coming from,” Mr.Nauss said. “More because you’re studying their practices and perspectives.”

Further proof of this can be seen by anyone who peeks their head into my French 5 class. Instead of the expected conjugation tables and daily prompts, we have open discussions. In, sometimes, at best, broken French, we expand upon topics like the implications of the French government ignoring the HIV/AIDS crisis, the riots at Stonewall, and the racism present in French society, and the greater Francophone world. This all having been covered, in just the first few weeks of school.

When I asked him how he went about balancing his love for French culture while also being cognizant of France’s dark history Mr.Nauss said,

“We’re talking about a lot of those issues in class with epidemics, and later on France’s role in colonialism. It’s important to state the facts and see what’s the results of these and how we can make reparations. The more people who become Francophones, the more support we’ll have in creating a more unified world so that’ll never happen again.”

For better or worse, a teacher has the ability to shape a student’s school day, year, and mold their entire perception of a subject. With any teacher, I assumed their main goal for their students by the end of the academic year was some set of skills to show for their efforts, but Mr.Nauss’s expectation had nothing to do with French at all.

“By the end of the year, I want all my students to feel good about themselves, you should feel accomplished no matter what.” he said.

As my freshman year came to a close, I remember feeling sadness wash over me at the thought of not having Mr.Nauss’s class again the following year. I can’t say that I ended the year fluent in French, but I carried over with me a renewed sense that I would be able to handle the years of French to come with less dread and more confidence.