After 35 exceptional years of teaching, one of GlenOak’s most beloved teachers is ready to retire. Julie Filliez, also known as Madame, has dedicated countless hours to the French program, making it what it is today.
Filliez’s teaching career started in 1992 at Pleasant View School For The Arts, an old Plain Local School for gifted students grade four through eight. At the time, she taught French to grades four through eight. She taught at Pleasant View until it closed in 2006, and then moved to Glenwood and Oakwood to teach French. She taught at both schools for four years, travelling between the two every week. She finally ended up at GlenOak,teaching at the high school from 2010 to the present.
“I wrote the curriculum for grades four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, and twelve,” Filliez said.
Filliez has contributed so much to the French program at the school. Before the French Club, they had a World Language Club which had more of a Spanish focus since it was run by the Spanish teachers. So she started a French club for her students. She also started the French Honors Society in 2020.
When Filliez first started college, teaching was not the career she planned on pursuing. She first thought she would be a lawyer, but she never stopped taking French classes during college. Throughout college, her mom always told her she would become a French teacher, but she never believed her because she thought she would be too smart.
“So I took an education class because I was kind of floundering, like, what am I going to do,” Filliez said
Even though she had no thought of pursuing education after she took that class, she fell in love instantly.
The most rewarding part of her teaching career is the relationships she has made with her students. The conversations she has had over the years and getting to watch her students grow while learning French has been extremely fulfilling. Even after high school, when she sees her students have gone on trips to France she gets to see how impactful her teaching was to their lives.
Her favorite subjects to teach are French III, grammar and HL1 French. What she loves to teach the most is French culture. She noticed if the language never stuck with her students the cultural aspects did.
“In real life, they can go out and see an artist or see a food and be like oh we learned about that,” Filliez said.
Over the years she thought she had been to France 15 times and 12 of the 15 she went with her students. The best moments from the many trips she has taken are the kids’ reactions.
“I’ve seen the Eiffel Tower many times, and when I see my students see it for the first time, it’s amazing,” Filliez said.
When taking the trips with her students, she sees how much independence they get from going. She notices how it clicks for the students when they realize they can decide for themselves. The confidence they grow over the two weeks they are in France is incredible and she loves to see her students grow.
“When you see the confidence like I can do this, I can ride the metro, I can order myself, and I can do my own laundry. It’s just really good to see them have that confidence,” Filliez said.
While going into retirement, she is most excited for all the freedom she will have. Filliez is ready to not have the Sunday scaries before a week of school, the freedom to sleep in, the freedom from having to grade tons of papers and the freedom to take spontaneous trips.
“I have poured my heart and soul into this,” Filliez said.
