I remember walking into period 1 on my first day of school. It was horrible; I was on the verge of tears because I had just spent 20 minutes going around campus trying to find the right class until I was pretty sure that if I didn’t put my ego aside and ask someone for help, I would be tardy. I was a freshman, after all. 

However, after more than two months of school, I can safely say that period 1 is my favorite class; and I can also safely say that the person who makes it special is Mrs. Nathalie Krikorian or Madame Krikorian, as her students call her. 

Madame Krikorian teaches French 1, French 2, French 4 and AP French and is one of the two French teachers at Arcadia High School (AHS).

Every morning when a student enters class, they are warmly greeted by Madame with a friendly smile and “Bonjour.” Class starts with a daily warm-up activity, and homework check. Then there’s discussing homework and doing some review work, like oral practice, writing, and taking notes. 

Truth be told, taking notes and studying are not always a student’s favorite activities, but Madame Krikorian always makes it fun! She often jokes around with her students, and even when she wants to appear upset, she often just ends up smiling, and saying something like “Guys!  We’re not in elementary school!” 

One time Madame Kirkorian asked a student to read a paragraph in English so that, in her own words, she wouldn’t have to read it in her horrible French accent, and another student said, “No, your accent is adorable!” Well, Madame Krikorian replied with “Okay, merci,” and the whole class erupted in laughter, because the way she said it was hilarious. 

Another time when the whole class was confusing two similarly pronounced French words, Madame Krikorian told the class that she wanted to “kill our grades” while she made claws with her hands, and the whole class was hysterical. 

However, Madame Krikorian is not only funny, but she’s also very kind and helpful toward her students. She never berates a student if they don’t get something right. Sure, at times she gets upset, but she always encourages them and extends out a helping hand. 

On the first day of school, Madame Krikorian gave her students a handout with details about the class, including a statement that she promises to respect and help her students as much as she can. It can safely be said that she lives up to that commitment. I, personally have emailed her so many times with questions, often at odd times and on the weekend, but she has always responded and helped me with my question. 

Despite having so many students, she always pays individual attention to each student. When the PSAT took place, most people from our class were out to take the test, so it was just a few of us during that day. I joked and asked Madame Krikorian if she’d be able to play a French cartoon episode for us, and well, she researched for 10 minutes and played a Halloween-themed cartoon episode for us. She told me “Aahana, look, I played this episode for you.”

Personally, for me, I absolutely love being in Madame Krikorian’s class. She makes class so enjoyable, and I am grateful to have her as my teacher, especially since this is my first year at the high school, and just knowing that she is a teacher who is there to support me makes me feel so much better. 

So Madame Krikorian, thank you. Thank you so much for all you have done and will continue to do. Thank you for being kind. Thank you for being supportive, and thank you so much for being an amazing teacher who all students adore.