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From the time she was little, Bethany Meadows of Fort Smith knew she wanted to be a teacher.
Meadows recently started French With Bethany, a language school that offers one-on-one virtual French lessons. “I have a lot of clients in Maine because it’s so close to the Canadian border,” she said.
However, the students Meadows is most excited about are children – some as young as 2 years old.
Meadows said the younger someone can learn a language the easier it becomes. “Kids’ brains are like sponges at that age. Their brain programmed to learn languages. People may think learning a second language at such a young age may impact their ability to learn English, but the opposite is true.”
Meadows tutored for a few years and then taught French at Catholic High School in Little Rock for nine years, before moving back to Fort Smith.
Having returned to Fort Smith to be closer to family but with no job, Meadows faced the challenge of starting her own business. Turning to the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, she sought guidance and validation for her entrepreneurial endeavor.
“Mostly I just wanted to make sure I was doing everything correctly and didn’t screw something up. To be honest, I had no idea of how to start a business,” she laughed.
“The ASBTDC taught me how to get started and if my idea was legitimate. I wanted an objective opinion on whether this was a realistic idea,” she said.
Bill Sabo, regional director at the ASBTDC at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, listened and brainstormed ways to make the business work. They discussed website ideas, marketing, video tutorials, and even publishing bilingual children’s books.
She said after her initial meeting with Sabo, “I felt confident I could do it.”
Though she enjoys working with children the most, Meadows works with all ages.
During her time in Little Rock, she worked with the families at Dassault Falcon, an aerospace company based in France that manufactures private jets. Workers transferred from France to Little Rock, often hiring Meadows to teach their families English.
Meadows believes there’s a big advantage for kids to learn a second language. “Not only does it improve their memory skills, but their ACT and SAT scores tend to be higher,” she said. “In business, it opens up a world to millions more people.”
She recounted a story of one student who at age three, met one of her parents’ friends and started having a full conversation in French. The parents, who didn’t speak French, were shocked.
Meadows also encourages anyone who plans on traveling to other countries to learn basic terms and phrases. “Honestly, one of my biggest goals is to get people to travel. If you have access to traveling – go,” she said.
French With Bethany plans to launch a subscription-based module in the near future. She also plan to offer books that will help children learn French at home.
Meadows’ French language website is www.FrenchWithBethany.com.