“If you don’t see the book you want on the shelves, write it.”
Inna Figotina , BEd ’15 & BA ’15 French Studies & History
Inna Figotina took author Beverly Cleary’s words to heart. In 2020, she published Trilingual Me! Moi, trilingue!, a bilingual children’s book written in English and French about a young girl’s journey of becoming trilingual. It’s inspired by Inna’s own story of immigrating to Canada at the age of seven speaking only Russian and learning English as her second language and French as her third language in school. Today, she is proud to speak these three languages fluently and she’s inspiring others as a published bilingual children’s author and an Elementary Core French Teacher for the York District School Board.
“As a language teacher and bilingual children’s author my goal is to promote the joy of language learning to children,” says Inna. “I want my students and the children who read my book to be inspired by my journey of language acquisition.”
The idea for the book came while working on her thesis project for her Master of Education in Modern Languages of Education in French at the University of British Columbia. She drew on her own childhood experiences and her work as a teacher after graduating from Glendon in 2015 with a Certificate of Bilingualism, an Honours BA in History & French Studies, as well as a BEd specializing in teaching French as a Second Language.
“Glendon was my first choice for my post-secondary education,” says Inna. “I knew that I wanted to study French at university and become a French teacher and Glendon was the best place to make my professional dreams come true. I also wanted to live and study in a bilingual environment so living on the beautiful campus at Glendon for four years was another dream come true!”
Since publishing her book, Inna has had the opportunity to host virtual author visits at schools across Canada and the United States, lead workshops for different school districts sharing her book and her research on the benefits of using bilingual books in their classrooms, as well as partner with different libraries in the GTA. One of the most meaningful moments since she published the book happened while she presented her book as part of her final thesis project presentation to her professors and Masters cohort.
“I got really emotional while reading my book to them, because it hit me how much I have accomplished,” says Inna. “From a little girl who had speech problems to a trilingual young woman who is a proud French teacher and who has now officially finished her Master of Education in French, her third language, and published a bilingual children’s book to celebrate her language acquisition journey.”
Rapid fire questions
Who or what inspires you?
I am inspired by my students and their stories. They inspire me to be a better teacher.
What is your favourite place on campus?
I made so many great memories that it’s hard to choose just one. My favourite place is Hilliard Residence where I lived for 4 years. I really loved living on campus!
What is your favourite city in the world?
My favourite city in the world is Taipei. I taught ESL there in 2017. It is an experience I will never forget.
What are your life goals?
My goal is to continue to inspire children with my story and to share my joy of language learning with them.
Neya Abdi, BA’16 International Studies
Published in December 2021
