Hailing from Quebec, Canada, French teacher Joanne Mollot (fondly known as Madame Mollot) has to be one of the most fascinating teachers on campus. My time spent learning French with her is long over, but her unorthodox teaching style has impacted me in such a way that I find myself thinking about her from time to time.
I had a lot of unanswered questions: Why did she care so much about current events? How did she get to be a security personnel turned stewardess turned French teacher? And lastly, how does she maintain such a positive attitude?
To answer these questions, one must start from the beginning. When she was growing up, there was a lot of animosity between those who spoke French and those who spoke English, and as someone who spoke both languages, Mollot was often caught in the crossfire of both communities.
“I went to an English high school, but because I spoke French, just a few people wanted to talk to me. Then, the French didn’t want to talk to me because I went to an English school, so I was kind of stuck in the middle between two languages, two cultures,” Mollot said in a Google Meet interview. “This was where I was introduced to discrimination. I’m sitting in an English class, and somebody calls me a frog, and I have no idea what that means. So, I go home and go, ‘Mom, somebody called me a frog. What is that all about?’ She says, ‘That’s because you’re French, and French people eat frog legs.’”
According to Mollot, she grew up during the Quiet Revolution—a time marked by social unrest as the government became secularized. A normal day at school entailed passing by armed guards at every corner, Mollot said. Surrounded by this political turmoil, Mollot was used to seeing protests and activism. In fact, when she was in college, she led a movement of her own.
“When I went to college, smoking was allowed,” Mollot said. “I had just started wearing contact lenses, and my eyes were streaming [tears], and I thought, ‘Wait a minute, this is not okay.’ So, I got some students together, and we worked to not have that smoking in classrooms. The following year, nobody was allowed to smoke, which was such a relief. We were one of the first schools to do that, in Canada for sure, and probably in North America, so this was something that was just beginning.”
Among the many culture shocks that come with moving to America, one of the more startling ones was the lack of civic engagement, Mollot said. “Quiet” was the word that Mollot used to describe her first 20 years in America. However, the recent surge of student activism and civic engagement has been terrific, Mollot said.
“Students matter,” Mollot said. “They do have power, and they [can] join with their parents, and there [will be] changes just like when I made the change for non-smoking.”
Today, change can be slow and it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a positive outlook. Mollot advises, “All the challenges that I’ve experienced―there’s always something good that came out of it. I guess I’ve learned that even though things are bad, there’s always something positive that comes out of it. We don’t know yet what that is, but in a few years, we’re going to find out.”
In college, Mollot also had the opportunity to work security at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. While working in an office for the army, Mollot learned how to operate a telex, which was a system of communication that sent messages over long distances, she said.
According to Mollot, she wanted to become a flight attendant in college but was rejected from the program. While raising her kids, Mollot applied to an airline company on a whim, thinking she wouldn’t even be considered. To her surprise, Air Transat called her back for an interview and offered her a job.
“I guess I’m going to say ‘yes’ and see what happens,” Mollot recalled thinking. “Off I went to training. I figured, ‘Oh I’ll never last.’ It was so hard, but I guess they didn’t want me to fail. One teacher would meet with me individually and test me, and she really wanted me to graduate, so I did.”
An unfortunate fall led Mollot to retire from her career as a flight attendant, she said. Luckily, she found a career that she loved even more—working as an educator at a museum. Sadly, her time at the museum was short-lived, as the pay was meager. Mollot then worked at Hewlett-Packard (HP) and finally, as a teacher.
“I taught art, and I’ve taught PE, and here I am teaching French,” Mollot said. “All these jobs kind of fell into my lap. I guess if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. It’s also being open to new experiences.”
Being a high school teacher has been a blast for Mollot. However, she often finds herself defending her profession and her students.
“When I’m in the grocery store, and they find out I’m a high school teacher, the first thing they say is, ‘Oh my gosh. We’re so sorry for you,’” Mollot said. “I go, ‘No! My students are terrific. [They] are so polite and respectful. They do their homework, and they do it well and so nicely written. They go way beyond what I asked them.’”
Many know Mollot as a French teacher, but this year she is also an art teacher. There are many ways in which the two subjects intersect, Mollot said. In art class, she can teach her students French, and in French class, she can teach her students art.
“I am so blessed,” Mollot said. “When I was told I will be teaching art this year, I was over the moon. The nice thing about art is that there’s no wrong, so people of all abilities can participate successfully.”
When asked why she gets out of bed every morning, Mollot said, “Well first of all, I got a class. I’m so lucky I enjoy my work; some people ask me, ‘Aren’t you going to retire?’ and I go, ‘Why? I’m having so much fun every day!’”