Madame Dion

Whether she’s teaching French on the fifth floor of Phillips Hall, coaching the girls’ cross country team or advising for PEAN, Instructor of Modern Languages Sheryl Dion brings infectious passion to the Exeter community.  In her third year at the Academy, Dion continues to support others through her constant optimistic outlook on life.

Dion had ties with the Academy even before becoming an instructor here; her husband grew up on campus, and her father-in-law taught French, Spanish and German at Exeter for forty years. Before Exeter, Dion was teaching at the Boston College High School. She was intrigued by the unique pedagogy of the Academy, the Harkness method, saying that it offers a “formidable opportunity” for language-teaching in particular, because students can “learn about culture while refining their French language skills and developing critical thinking abilities.” Dion now lives with her spouse and two daughters on Court Street. “This is a great community family-wise, I’ve felt supported by the school, the administration, my colleagues and everyone here,” she said.

Dion obtained her graduate degree at Boston College and is in the process of completing her PhD at New Hampshire State University. One of the lesser-known facts about Dion, however, is that her ambition used to lie with the military. “My great-great-great-grandfather François Étienne de Kellermann was a Napoleonic general in the French cavalry,” she said, joking that he was “important enough to Napoleon to have a statue sold on eBay.” Dion was a plebe at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, before realizing that her passion lay in teaching.

“I started working as a teacher’s assistant in French literature while going to graduate school,” she said.  “After the first day, I told my adviser that I wanted to teach. I’ve never looked back.” For Dion, teaching is a wonderful lifestyle because it keeps her actively engaged with the literature; she loves “rediscovering the material over and over again.” Quoting one of her favorite authors, Marcel Proust, Dion said, “The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Because every student in the classroom had a unique perspective, she felt that teaching a Harkness class was like having ten new pairs of eyes all at once.

Dion cherishes a life-long passion for French literature, which started when she first took lessons in the language. “French never felt like work, no matter how hard it was,” she commented, reminiscing, “When I got my first set of books in French, I cried for joy.” Before going to graduate school, she spent one year in Paris translating World War II letters and conducting interviews with survivors who were still alive at the time. For six years, she spent her free time compiling and editing volumes of a bibliography of 20th Century French literature for the Associated University Presses. “I compiled relevant articles, book chapters and dissertations on francophone literature, not necessarily from France only,” Dion said, adding that she was fortunate to receive help from  librarians “all over the world.”

Dion also thrives off of learning new things and has a passion for challenging herself in other aspects of her life that she may find difficult. She is enrolled in a class right now called “applied recognition.” She said, “That’s one thing I’ve never done before, it’s mathematical, controlling variables, but the Naval Academy encouraged me to be more diversified in my interests.” She also enjoys running, listening to hip-hop music, photography and reading.

Her love for running led her to join the cross country and track teams in college. “I did cross country and track in college, and I loved it,” she said. She is also involved with the girls’ cross country team here at Exeter.  As for her interest in photography, Dion grew up with a dark room in her house, which encouraged her to start taking and developing her own photos. She advises PEAN (Exeter’s yearboook) and works with students to share her passion of photography with others.

Students across campus love “Madame” Dion and note that her compassion and ability to make learning French enjoyable has helped them in their academic careers. Senior Kate Fitzpatrick said, “She was super welcoming to me as a new student and really helped me get into the French curriculum at Exeter. There was a big emphasis on conversation, more than I’ve seen in other French classes here, and that really helped me grow as a speaker.” Dion noted that she often plays French music for her students in order to help them grow as speakers and feel more comfortable. Upper Jane Collins appreciated Dion’s academic support. “She makes the class very comfortable for everyone, and there’s a casual environment.  Especially if you’re not the best at French, she’s really understanding and doesn’t make you feel bad about it.”

On top of coaching, advising PEAN, and getting a PhD, Dion finds little ways to show her students how much she cares for them. “In her class, we talked about everything from current events to the French book,” said Fitzpatrick. “Best of all, she always made rolls with tiny French flags every time there was a birthday.”