Merci, Madame Giorgis!

In 2008, Isabelle Giorgis began teaching as a French teacher at the Gilman Lower School. Since the beginning of her time here, she has made a profound impact on many students and colleagues. Now, after 17 years of teaching, Madame Giorgis plans to retire.

Madame Giorgis said that she “always loved teaching since [she] was a little girl.” Her dreams came to fruition when she began teaching French at numerous schools, some of which were Baltimore City College, the Waldorf School of Baltimore, Morgan State University, and Coppin State University. Then, she came to Gilman, where she spent time with students whom she described as “passionate and curious.” 

After a tremendous career, Madame Giorgis explained that the thing she would miss most about Gilman was the students. She marveled at her experience teaching the boys at Gilman. “They are always ready to take risks and be adventurous with what they do,” praising the students for being “well-raised and polite.” Madame Giorgis also commented that, at Gilman, she had “complete freedom to create [her] program.” In addition to her passion for teaching, Madame Giorgis remarked that her class operates as a performance, and she was happy to “share [her] culture” with the students through activities like singing, dancing, and drawing.

Madame Giorgis expressed her gratitude for Gilman and the community’s ability to support her as a teacher, especially with travel grants given to teachers. Specifically, she reflected on her sixth-month traveling journey to Martinique, Corsica, and Paris, saying that it is “a unique thing to have families who sponsor teachers.”

Looking back on Madame Giorgis’s time teaching at Gilman, students were inspired, impacted, and left with lifelong memories. Aryan Goyal ‘27 reflected on his time in the Lower School learning French with Madame Giorgis, saying, “I really enjoyed the fun activities in her class that came with learning French.” Specifically, he remembered watching and discussing Le Petit Prince. In addition, every year around winter break, Aryan remembered watching the Santa vs. The Snowman movie in French.

Another one of her former students, Ethan Grodin ‘27, said, “I remember feeling confident and vocal coming into her class.” He claimed that even after transitioning from another language at an old school, Madame Giorgis helped him thrive in the classroom.

Along with students, a colleague of Madame Giorgis expressed the impact she made on Gilman throughout her career. Cheryl Nkeba, Upper School music teacher, director of the Jazz Band and Bell Choirs, and friend of Madame Giorgis, had many positive things to say about her. Because Madame Giorgis is a native French speaker, Mrs. Nkeba said Gilman is fortunate to have a teacher who “brings not just the knowledge of the language, and how to speak it, but also the whole culture.” She also remarked, "Our boys are extremely fortunate to have someone who brings that much passion and animation to them learning French.” 

In retirement, Madame Giorgis plans on continuing her career as a writer, artist, and a possible consultant for other teachers. She is also considering performing storytelling and doing other creative work. In addition, Madame Giorgis aims to work on herself physically by participating in activities like swimming and walking.  

We are all definitely going to miss Madame Giorgis. Whether it be her dynamic and engaging personality or her passion for teaching French, her retirement will leave a void in the community. Au revoir, Madame!