French GTA Rivalry leads to Donuts, Extra Credit

The sounds of a coffee grinder whirring and plates clinking together mingled with the smell of fresh pastries in the air. Beneath the hustle of employees and the chatter of customers, a rivalry has formed at one table in Varsity Donuts.

 

Every Thursday night, K-State students meet at the donut shop for an event known as Table Française. The meetings provide students with a chance to practice French in discussions and board games without the pressure of a classroom. Table Française is hosted by three French graduate teaching assistants from K-State’s Department of Modern Languages.

 

GTA Kiara O’Dea said that Table Française strays away from the grammar-heavy structure of class, teaching students of all skill levels to speak conversational French.

“When I do have students attend, they do show more confidence in class when they have to speak,” O’Dea said. “It encourages students to think a little more about what they want to do with French in the future.”

 

Table Française offers students a chance to connect with other French-speaking students over donuts and coffee. Students earn extra credit as an incentive to attend meetings regularly. GTA Adam Smith said Table Française offers a casual environment for conversation that can’t be found in a classroom.

 

“If it’s just three grad students and three students from French 1, that can be a little intimidating,” Smith said. “But if we have a full table of students, suddenly we have whole different sections of conversation.”

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance for Table Française was at an all-time low. O’Dea said that due to the online format, students stopped attending meetings altogether.

 

With Table Française back in person last semester, O’Dea and Smith needed to find a way to drive up attendance. They found that the solution to their problem was a competition.

 

“Last semester I had a really good group of students that attended pretty consistently,” O’Dea said. “I was always joking that I had more students than Smith, and that I was beating him. It kind of became a joke and a competition.”

 

O’Dea said that her rivalry with Smith is a fun way to attract more students to Table Française. With both the incentive of extra credit and the allure of competition, attendance for Table Française has risen. On average, 9-10 students attend Table Française every week.

 

“It’s sort of something that we made up to get students to want to come,” Smith said. “If we get more students, we get to brag about it and feel proud of our class.”

 

While O’Dea took the lead last semester, Smith has swiftly taken her place with the most students in attendance. O’Dea said that because she only teaches one class this semester, fewer of her students have shown up to meetings. As the rivalry continues, both GTAs are excited to see who will win by the end of the semester.

 

For the A.Q. Miller School, I’m Maddie Willson.