French Connection: A Decade of Educational Experiences and Cultural Exchange

Elementary Education major Grace Schlichter with French students during her 2025 summer teaching internship.

What started as a week-long trip to France eleven years ago has grown into a special international partnership committed to cultural exchange and globally minded teaching and learning.

“The driving question has always been how to ensure that both partners gain equally, that the exchange uplifts rather than extracts,” says Jacob Minniear, Ph.D. ’22 C&I, of the College’s Office of International Programs as he reflects on the partnership over the last decade. “The answer to this has come through dialogue, shared planning, and a common belief that teacher education is a global endeavor rooted in empathy and understanding,” he says.

Early Beginnings

In 2015, College of Education students embarked on the first trip to France, led by Minniear and Office of International Programs Director Allison Witt. During the week of Spring Break, Education students spent time in France visiting educational institutions and observing in French classrooms, providing a foundational understanding of French teacher education and the country’s education system.

The following year, the College of Education began working directly with both the University of Lyon and the English Inspector from the French Ministry of Education. These collaborations opened the door for Illinois students to visit even more French schools serving students from a broad range of economic levels and linguistic abilities. As the week-long France experience expanded, school visits were complemented by concluding reflective seminars held at the University of Lyon.

Connecting Continents Through Classrooms

After a couple years of collaboration, University of Lyon proposed the idea of the University of Illinois hosting French teacher education on U.S. soil, deepening the partnership and the pursuit of mutually beneficial cultural exchange. Starting in 2017, French education students engaged in longer-term internships in the Champaign-Urbana area, assisting teachers in local schools with monolingual and multilingual student populations.

Soon, Illinois students found themselves completing similar internships in France during the academic semester. Undergraduate seniors spent eight weeks teaching in bilingual or English-medium schools as a part of their student teaching requirement. These internships allowed both French and American students to explore one another’s educational pedagogy, language, and culture while gaining professional experience in the field.

Thinking Bigger Picture

In 2020, as it impacted everything, the global pandemic paused all travel and in-person aspects of the partnership with France. COVID times also provided a break to rethink and reimagine the activities of the international collaboration. The outcome was the reconfiguration of the eight-week teaching internship exchange into a summer teaching internship experience.

“The new summer teaching internship offers Illinois students a five- to six-week English teaching placement in public schools throughout the Rhône-Alpes region,” says Minniear. “With the assistance of the French Ministry of Education, students are matched with a school that ensures a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Summer teaching internships are individualized, from living and teaching among the bustling crowds of Lyon to being based in one of the picturesque small towns in the French countryside. This is distinctly different than traditional study abroad programs that place group participants in the same educational and, often, living accommodations. Summer interns begin their experience together with an orientation in Lyon but then move to their own separate placements within the region. Minniear says this pushes students toward more intensive cultural immersion and to engage more closely within their host community.

“Teaching abroad in France during summer of 2025 was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life,” says Grace Schlichter, a senior majoring in Elementary Education. “Working with students in a different language and school system made me more confident, more adaptable, and more intentional in how I teach. Living and teaching there expanded my perspective and strengthened my belief that empathy and curiosity can bridge cultures.”

Virtual Classrooms Drive In-Person Exchange

Pandemic-era restrictions on travel led to another “silver lining” innovation that has endured: the creation of the College’s I Global program. I Global is an online extra-curricular club for middle school students led by Illinois and international undergraduate students. The thriving Illinois-France educational partnership has been a critical piece of the success of I Global. Currently, 12 middle schools in France participate in I Global.

“I Global has turned my English classroom into a vibrant window on the world, where a true I Global family is taking shape,” says Naima Longeon, a middle school English teacher in Lyon, France. “It empowers students to speak up, share their ideas, and connect confidently with peers across borders. As a teacher, I find I Global inspiring and deeply meaningful in strengthening students’ global awareness.”

During 2024, one I Global participating middle school in France additionally hosted Illinois students doing summer teaching internships. Upon learning of these collaborations, the French Ministry of Education awarded the middle school a grant to visit Illinois. And in October 2025, 40 French middle school students and teachers traveled to Chicago and Champaign-Urbana for a week of cultural exchange, friendship, and learning. The itinerary included activities like a Chicago Fire Soccer game, a picnic in Lincoln Park, and visiting the Discovery Partners Institute for a workshop on coding and technology.

GIFT Grant Marks New Milestone

Additionally, the French Ministry of Education recently recognized the ongoing international education partnership by awarding a newly-created grant: the Grenoble-Illinois Future Teacher Project (GIFT).

“This is the only program in France of its kind sponsored by the Ministry itself,” Minnear says.

During the summer of 2026, GIFT will provide an opening week of professional training for University of Illinois students consisting of bilingual education, multilingual pedagogy, and English language teaching approaches in Grenoble, France. Students will go on to complete their respective teaching internships, upon which they will receive a certificate from the French Ministry of Education at a closing symposium.

After a decade now of teaching and learning together, it's clear both French and U.S. educators agree: these kinds of connection and experiences provides students with much-needed perspective that extends beyond the bounds of the program or country.