Anne Meny
2024 Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year
Parlez-vous français?
If you’re studying French at McHenry County College (MCC), you can confidently answer “Oui” to that question thanks to Anne Meny.
“MCC is a great school and I feel very much at home here,” Meny said. “Because I teach French, I have smaller class sizes that allow me to really get to know my students. I absolutely love to watch their growth.”
Meny was recently recognized as MCC’s 2024 Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year, an award that is selected by fellow faculty members and given based on commitment to teaching, contribution to the college community, and professional development.
“Anne’s work as an adjunct instructor of French embodies the tenets of excellence to which all teachers aspire,” said Joe Sullivan, Dean of Arts and Humanities at MCC. “She models for her students the curiosity and enthusiasm necessary for lifelong learning. She is an excellent instructor and is truly deserving of the MCC Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Member Award.”
“I feel truly valued here at MCC,” Meny said. “The College has given me the opportunity to pursue professional training, and if there is something I need to do my job better—such as education or technology—I have been very well supported in those efforts.”
Meny has been teaching college courses since 1990, but knew she wanted to become a teacher as early as 1973.
“I had an old-fashioned school desk in my bedroom and my friends would come over and we would play school,” she recalled. “We all had to take turns being the teacher and the students.”
Her passion for teaching led her to Northern Illinois University for both her undergraduate and master’s degrees. She was the first student in their master’s program for French.
“I was a member of NIU’s immersion program, the Foreign Language Residence Program, for my entire time there. In the program, native speakers (who are also students) lived with us in the dorms. We all took a pledge to speak in the target language the entire time, so we practiced speaking from dawn until dusk. It’s a fantastic way to become fluent because you’re immersed in the language for everything. While I was at NIU, they also created the master’s program for French and I was thrilled to be asked to be the first student to graduate from that program.”
Inspired by the idea of language immersion, one of the strategies that Meny uses in her classroom is “gamification,” or the use of games to promote student engagement, retention, and better learning.
“Some students are very hesitant to speak during class, especially when it is a foreign language and they know they are more apt to make mistakes,” she said. “However, if I bring in a French educational board game, they are speaking, playing, and practicing vocabulary and grammar concepts without realizing or caring that they are speaking in class. To them, it's just a game, but what I've really done is trick them into speaking and learning.”
Her goal for her students is to be able to travel and feel confident speaking French.
“I want them to know how to use their resources to communicate effectively,” she said. “Some of my students have even gone on to study for a semester in France or become French majors or minors. To me, it is so satisfying to have students continue their studies in something that I hold so near and dear to my heart.”
In addition to French, Meny has many other interests outside of MCC, including playing bagpipes with the Dundee Scottish Pipeband, reading, gardening, sewing, and cooking/baking (and sharing with her colleagues). She is also a consultant for the McGraw-Hill textbook her students use, and influences how that book remains relevant as its editions evolve.
“It’s immensely gratifying to give suggestions and feedback on the new edition of the textbook we use,” Meny said. “I am in the classroom every day, so I see how students learn and what is and is not helpful to them.”
Meny encourages her students to be curious, ask questions, and get to know their teachers.
“Don't be afraid to make a mistake, because one mistake in class is not a life-defining moment. Making mistakes is how we learn. I want nothing more than to see my students succeed.”