My name is Mary Rddad and I have been teaching at L'Etoile du Nord since 2002. I have a B.A. in French and International Relations from Concordia College, Moorhead, a B.S. in education from the University of Minnesota, and a MAed from Hamline University. I've taught K, 1 and a K-1 combo class at LNFI and elementary ESL in another St. Paul Public school.  My first teaching job was as a high school English teacher in Morocco while in the Peace Corps. 

I like to travel, listen to French music, watch films, read and swim. I especially like history and have done extensive research on 17th century Montreal.

I am a resident on the East side of Saint Paul and live with my rabbit, Guili and my cat named Minou. I have two grown children. My son is  a medical journalist and lives in Florida. My daughter, a former LNFI student, is an artist living in New York City and specializes in clothing design. 

The greatest gift you can give your child is a second language. I've been with LNFI since it's second year, first as a parent and then later as a teacher. I feel strongly that the best way to learn a language is through immersion and the best time to learn it is as a child. My professional passion is teaching reading, so when I was offered a WINN (What I Need Now) literacy support position at LNFI, I was overjoyed. I work along with the classroom teacher to help meet the reading needs of all of the students. I am looking forward to my second year in this position.