A few weeks ago, we shared about the ministry of language school. Today we want to answer some of the questions we’ve received about school!

Tell me again why you’re learning French?!

Most of West Africa, including Togo, speaks French. Learning French will enable to us to be more effective in ministry.

Why Tennessee?

A big reason: the time zones align with Quebec! Instead of starting class very early in the morning, I start at 8:45am and Allen starts at 1:30pm. If we had returned to Alaska, we’d be starting at 4:45am and 9:30am, respectively. Ew.

What levels of French are you?

Allen is in the beginner class and I am in intermediate.

How is Allen doing with classes?

He’s doing great! The program we did last fall really gave him a leg up in speaking, comprehension, and reading. He does not feel overwhelmed and is learning well.

What’s the format for your classes?

Our classes are online, but we connect to classes that are meeting live in Canada. The Canadian students can be there for in-person classes, so they sit in the classroom. The classes include a lot of work on vocabulary, sentence structure, reading, and memorization.

How much homework do you have?

We generally work on homework after kids are in bed. We have at least an hour and a half of assignments each night to do on Google Classroom, plus we have weekly requirements: 5 hours of listening to French, 10 conversations in French, and 5 “extra” French readings. We also memorize a Bible verse in French each week, plus have additional assignments (for example, today I am giving a book report in French about a French book I read).

How many people are in your classes?

There are six students in Allen’s class and four in mine.

How long will the school take to complete?

It takes about a year to complete the whole program. Allen should finish up in December 2021 and I will finish after the summer term.

What do your kids do while you’re in class?

We are thankful that while I am in class, Allen can watch the kids and vice versa. In the mornings, Allen and the kids eat breakfast, play, and sometimes they run errands or go to the park. In the afternoons, Hudson naps and I try to do some preschool activities with the girls.

How many cups of coffee do you drink everyday?

That’s a personal question, but I’ve been drinking about two big mug fulls. Allen has four or five big mug fulls everyday.