OMG I'M FAMOUS

EXTRA EXTRA read all about it! And by it, I mean me… because I was featured in my town’s newspaper! It’s all in French, so I’ve translated it below… (PS some phrases don’t translate exactly, so I just paraphrased).

Born in the USA

Her name is Hailey Ingraham, she is 22 years old, and since the beginning of the school year, she is an English assistant in many schools in Saint-Dizier. Meet this American girl who loves France.

Hailey Ingraham, you may not know her by name, but a lot of students already know her face. Since the start of the school year in September, this young 22-year-old woman came right from the United States to be an English assistant it many Saint-Dizier schools. She teaches at the elementary schools Albert-Camus and Jean-de-la-Fontaine, the middle school Anne-Frank, and at the high school Blaise-Pascal. She helps out in classrooms of both regular teachers as well as English teachers.

This is the second time that this young student has lived in France. In 2016, she came to study at the University Lyon 2 for four months. It was an international program with other international students run by the USAC program, which stands for University Studies Abroad Consortium.

Discovering the American language and culture

Hailey Ingraham loves the French language, and she is working to master it. She volunteered to participate in Tapif, Teaching Assistant Program in France, which permits American students to become English assistants in France, with the objective of teaching their language and culture to French students.

“We can choose many different regions in France,” explained Hailey (pronounced Eyli) Ingraham.

“I chose Saint-Dizier to be close to Reims and Paris.”

In the English classes, she adapts the lesson plans according to the ages of the students.

“For older students, we work on pronunciation. They listen to me speaking only in English. It’s a good exercise for better comprehension of the language.” For the younger students, in the elementary schools, this young woman teaches them more about culture. “For Christmas and for Thanksgiving, I taught them songs for example. Also when at the high school, we have complex conversations about American culture and debates too. I am also able to talk to the students one-on-one. It works very well.”

Hailey Ingraham is in the schools until May and then she will return to the United States. And after that? “I am not sure yet. I like journalism, but I don’t think I want to become a journalist. I have a YouTube channel, and I like to travel. Maybe I will do something in that direction. But it is difficult to find work in the United States while here in France. I will look more when I return back to the states.”

This young woman does not exclude the idea of coming back to France either. Maybe back to Saint Dizier? “It’s a small town for me since I come from Philadelphia. But everyone has been so nice here, people truly want to help me. In a big city, that’s not always the case. So I like it here!”

Traveler and Youtuber

Hailey Ingraham loves France and traveling and she likes to share her adventures. The young woman created a YouTube channel for helping other students who have plans to travel to the other side of the Atlantic. How to get a French phone, how to find cheap hotels, or how to prepare for your trip, Hailey Ingraham does not lack tips and information in her videos.

She also takes the opportunity to discover the region (the champagne of course, but also the Montier festival for example) et shares her travels in Europe. The name of her YouTube channel is “Plane to Champagne.”

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For one, having a full page feature in the Sunday paper shows you just how small my town is lol… but more importantly I think it’s important to acknowledge that I might be one of very few Americans that these people will ever meet in their lives. I’m representing something so much bigger than just me (no pressure), and that is not a burden I will take lightly!