What I love most about teaching at IUHS is the diversity of my students. I have had students enrolled at Julliard and they needed a French credit so they enrolled at IUHS. I have also had students who are fabulous athletes who dedicate their day to their sport and evenings to their education. I love that IUHS provides students the opportunity to follow their dreams while earning a high school diploma.
— Ms. Rebecca Elkins, IU High School French Teacher
Ms. Elkins is a treasured teacher at IU High School. Her French courses are engaging and rigorous while giving students an opportunity to explore French language, culture, and customs at a pace that suits their needs.
In October, two current IU High School students from Nicaragua came to visit us on the IU Bloomington campus. When I asked them to tell us about their experiences in our courses, the students’ mother wanted to make sure she told us how wonderful Ms. Elkins’ courses have been. She said that her daughter learned French better with Ms. Elkins than in any other course she had taken, and that her daughter can now speak fluent French!
But perhaps Ms. Elkins’ talent in teaching is best described in the student’s own words:
Because of you and the quality of teaching you gave me, my French has more than improved. I now can maintain a conversation talking about various topics and my writing and listening skills have ameliorated as well and I owe all that to your explanations, course discussions, inspiring feedback, and assignments. It is really hard to find an instructor like you! You are a devoted teacher who gives the best advice and corrections to her students, and without you, I wouldn’t be at the French level I have right now. I have been following all your tips for improving french and I must say that they have been effective and wonderful! I also learned a great deal about francophone countries and their culture, and it has served me to learn more about other parts of the world and see the presence of the French language worldwide. Je dois vous dire ‘Merci beaucoup pour avoir été la meilleure professeure de Français du monde.’
A teacher with diverse passions and experiences
Ms. Elkins was a 2008 Lilly Teacher Creativity Endowment Grant recipient and had the opportunity to study quilting in southern France for 3 weeks. This is Ms. Elkins’ twentieth year teaching French, and she has visited France 7 times.
Ms. Elkins celebrated her 17th wedding anniversary with her husband Greg in 2019. Greg is the CFO at Mount Vernon Community School Corporation. They have one son, Garrett, who is in the 4th grade. Their two Cavalier King Charles spaniels are named Molly and Ginger. Ms. Elkins enjoys running, quilting, and baking. Her specialty is the French macaron cookie. Ms. Elkins also likes to read and watch her son play football.
How has teaching at IU High School changed over time?
When asked about her teaching experience at IU High School, Ms. Elkins said:
I began teaching at IUHS in 2001. Back then students submitted their speaking assignments on cassette tapes and they were mailed back in forth. It could take 2 weeks for the post office to deliver these assignments-you can imagine how long it took students to complete a course. The age of the Internet has really made course completions much quicker and easier.
Ms. Elkins spends her days teaching French at Shelbyville High School in Indiana. It is her 11th year teaching French at SHS. Ms. Elkins previously taught at Edgewood High School in Ellettsville, IN, and for a couple years split her day between Morristown High School and Waldron High School.
We are so thrilled that Ms. Elkins is teaching at IU High School!