Ryan Langley, Ӱר12, found his passion through his heritage.
ӰרI spent the first half of my childhood growing up in Bayou Pigeon where I was surrounded by French and the Ӱרbayou lifestyle,ӰרӰר he said. ӰרI didnӰרt realize how special and different it was until we moved away.
ӰרI had learned to speak French with my grandparents, but I didnӰרt understand the importance of what I was doing until much later,Ӱר he said. ӰרOnce I did, however, I knew that in order to do my part in preserving and promoting my culture I needed to learn from those that have dedicated their lives to that very mission."
ӰרAfter that, choosing my major and concentration seemed obvious,Ӱר he said. ӰרI simply had to follow my passion.Ӱר
Ryan began his academic career elsewhere, but the Cajun and Creole studies program at UL Lafayette caught his eye.
ӰרThe possibility to obtain a minor in Cajun and Creole studies really piqued my interest,Ӱר he said. ӰרThat interest was compounded when I went to a recruiting event where I met a few of the professors in the Department of Modern Languages.
ӰרI was so impressed by the passion and expertise of the faculty and the caliber of the program I decided to transfer to UL Lafayette in the middle of my sophomore year,Ӱר he said.
Preserving the Language through Research
As a student, Ryan helped preserve an oral history of stories and jokes from his community.
ӰרI had to sift through the available material and from it create a repertoire that I could perform,Ӱר he said. ӰרI loved this project so much because it allowed me to more deeply connect to the storytelling culture of my hometown and to preserve a bit of oral history that would have been forgotten.Ӱר
Sharing His Love of Louisiana French
Since graduating, Ryan has earned his masterӰרs degree in education, taught at three schools in France, and settled back in Lafayette to teach French immersion. He now teaches fourth grade at Myrtle Place Elementary School.
ӰרI am a part of a three-person team that teaches fourth grade,Ӱר he said. ӰרI teach social studies, science, art, and French language arts.
ӰרI consider myself incredibly lucky to be teaching at such an amazing school,Ӱר he said. ӰרEven after just one year there I already consider Myrtle Place my home.Ӱר
Ryan works hard to pass on the Louisiana heritage to his students.
ӰרI am in a position to be able to expose our students to our unique French dialect and culture,Ӱר he said. ӰרOne of the reasons that parents choose French Immersion for their kids is due to their desire for their children to learn their heritage language, Louisiana French."
ӰרMy long-term goal is to one day create a Louisiana French curriculum that will be accepted by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education that can be used in our immersion schools,Ӱר he said.
ӰרDue to my programs of study and my unique childhood experiences, I am able to help serve as that link,Ӱר he said. ӰרIn my area of Louisiana, even those that donӰרt speak French were still surrounded by native Louisiana French speakers growing up.Ӱר
