Bonjour.
I am Reuben Vyn, and I have been involved in various aspects of French language teaching and assessment for a couple decades. I’m originally from Canada, although I didn’t truly acquire proficiency in the language until my college years. I am somewhat of a recent transplant to the great state of Wisconsin. I live near La Crosse, and for the past three years I’ve been working at ACTFL, developing
assessments in many languages, including French, of course!
My French Journey
I first traveled to France as an undergrad for a 6-month study abroad program in Grenoble at Université
de Stendhal. If I’m honest, I only went because I wanted to go skiing in the Alps. After that experience,
though, I knew I wanted to major in French and hoped to return there as soon as possible. So, after I
graduated, I went back as an assistant d’anglais, teaching English in elementary schools in St. Marcellin. I
also picked up cycling while I was there and rode up Apl d’Huez, among other famous climbs of the Tour
de France.
From there, I returned to the States and earned my masters in French at Portland State University in
Oregon. From there, I moved to Colorado where I taught 4 th Grade at a French immersion school for one
year, followed by four years of teaching high school French. Then, in search of a new challenge, I
enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Iowa. In my dissertation, I focused on the washback effect
of the AAPPL on language teaching in the K-12 setting. Through my research, I became more involved in
rating the AAPPL, then writing items and conducting quality assurance for the French portion of the test.
Then, after earning my degree in Foreign Language & ESL Education, I was hired on full-time at ACTFL
where I’ve been for the last three years. It was round this same time that I moved to Wisconsin and
quickly planted roots.
Currently, my only students are my two sons, whom I’ve been raising bilingually. It’s been a fun social
experiment to say the least. I’m glad to still be part of the community of French language educators
through my role I the AATF, and I look forward to meeting more of you over the years at conferences or,
if you’re willing, I’d love to come observe your teaching so I can keep up with what’s going on in the
classroom!
Contact
If you have questions about membership, or are seeking support for your program, please reach out!