Frequently Asked Question

Anyone over the age of 18 interested in the teaching of French can join the Association. We have a number of membership categories to fit most situations.

We only have individual memberships. If only one teacher in a school joins, the membership applies only to him or her or to his or her students (for purposes of Grand Concours registration or the Société Honoraire de Français, for example). Similarly, we cannot automatically transfer membership from one teacher to a replacement when there is a change in staff. The benefits of membership are attributable to a specific person.

The $55 membership fee is lower than most other national professional associations. In fact, we have not raised dues in over 10 years. For just 15 cents a day, members receive 8 publications (4 issues of the National Bulletin, 4 issues of the French Review) and can obtain a variety of promotional and pedagogical materials at or below cost. Teachers and students can compete for awards in the local and national contests we sponsor. Membership dues allow us to offer over $15,000 per year in scholarships and small grants, to maintain an award-winning website, social media pages, and to sponsor the work of our commissions in addition to many other services. This is great value and compares favorably with the dues levied by other professional associations.

When National French Week was first conceived, it was intended to be a week devoted to showcasing French, taking it out of the classroom to show outsiders what students know and can do with French. We believed that the increased attention focused on teaching and learning French would increase retention and enrollment in French classes. In more recent years as more and more French programs come under scrutiny, the increased visibility of French through National French Week activities has been essential to program survival. March is not a good time to organize a new national event. It is the month of the Grand Concours, and few teachers would have the time or energy to participate in both. Secondly, someone somewhere in the U.S. is on spring break during one of the weeks of March. And finally, many schools hold registration beginning in January. No date is perfect, and there will always be conflicts with local festivities, sports events, or exams. The important thing is to promote French at any opportunity.

AATF publications are mailed on an irregular basis during the school year with the National Bulletin appearing in September, November, January, and April and the French Review appearing in October, December, March, and May. Nothing is published over the summer.

The AATF never releases members’ email addresses for any commercial use. We occasionally provide email addresses to the French Cultural Services for a one-time purpose of mailing information to French teachers. We may also send a blanket email message to our members with an important reminder. However, if you received unsolicited email from other sources, they did not get the address from us.

The AATF does not endorse any products or programs. We do not have the personnel resources to evaluate individual products, programs, travel companies, etc. Many companies support the work of the AATF by exhibiting at our conventions and advertising in our publications. We try to highlight these companies whenever possible in exchange for their support. However, the AATF makes no guaranties regarding their products or services. Any other companies or organizations that use the name of the AATF, particularly in email messages, are doing so without our authorization, and we would appreciate knowing about it.