Faculty and French

10/24/18

Blog by Brandes Woodall, Cambridge Junior and Communication Intern.

One of the many opportunities that Cambridge gives its students is a very special relationship with their professors. For me, that means taking a French class where I am the only student. This summer my parents decided to expand my French education beyond the classroom and send my French teacher, Prof. Nelson, and me to Paris and Normandy for two weeks. Having a teacher that is willing to take two weeks out of their summer vacation to hang out with their 16-year-old student is pretty incredible. We had so much fun exploring and visiting famous landmarks, but most of all being immersed in the language and culture we had spent the year studying in a classroom setting. One of my favorite places that we visited was Mont. St. Michel, a small island off the coast of Normandy. We ate at the place that invented omelets and went on night walks and ate gelato. This aligned with Cambridge’s summer praxis initiative, encouraging leisure and reflection on God’s creation, in that we toured art museums and spent time walking in nature. All in all, it was an invaluable experience that Cambridge’s unique community allowed me to have.

At many schools, it is not as easy to have a close and personal relationship with your teachers and get to know them one on one, but here the mission statement of Academic Discipleship is truly lived out. One of the first things that I noticed after transferring to Cambridge was the difference between a large private school and a small private school. Here, professors are willing to talk to students during their free time about things in their class or just for fun and really get to know the kids sitting in their classes. Teachers who are willing to sacrifice their time and energy to help students who are struggling or simply to talk is so unique and can only be found at a community like Cambridge.