“Team-oriented colleagues, polite students, friendly and dedicated parents...these are the things I enjoy most about Middleburg Academy.”   - Martine Bourdeau

Titles: Teacher of French, Latin, and Spanish; Freshman Class Advisor; Co-moderator of The Key Club; Coordinator of School Assemblies    
Department: Foreign Languages

Courses Taught:  
French 1, 2, 3 & 4
College French (Dual Enrollment)
Latin 1 & 2
Spanish 1

Academic Degrees: 
DEA, University of Paris I
Ph.D., The City University of New York
Ph.D., University of Paris
   
To contact:  mbourdeau@middleburgacademy.org

Madame Bourdeau’s students might be surprised to learn she would have liked to have been a jazz musician.  But then, the way she weaves music, art, film, cuisine, and the culture of life into her daily language instruction...this dream is not so surprising after all.  One day she may teach her students how to make crepes, another view and discuss the movie Amelie,  and on the next, tell the story of how her grandmother helped the French Resistance by hiding messages in her bicycle bars (en francais naturellement).  This native Frenchwoman is known by her students to emphasize more speaking than most language instructors, do an excellent job of explaining new concepts, and be firm in her expectations that they memorize their vocabulary words and study every single day.  When her students inevitably move beyond Middleburg Academy, Madame Bourdeau misses them, realizing, “The school helped them to become who they are now, and that each of them added some spirit or distinctive quality to the school.”

Martine Bourdeau has two children: Jason, 26, in his last year in Graduate School of Architecture – IIT, Chicago and Angelyne, a rising 10th grader at Clarke County High School, who wishes to become a filmmaker or photographer.  Yoga, cooking, gardening, writing short stories, and having tea with friends are high on Martine Bourdeau’s list of leisure activities.

“Madame Bourdeau genuinely cares about how her students are doing and is always available for extra help.  Her classes are well-planned, with many activities . . . plus she has lots of wonderful stories about her native France!” - Cheyenne Sams, Class of 2012