Peggy Feehan – Executive Director of CODOFIL

Discover Lafayette

Peggy Feehan, Executive Director of CODOFIL (Council for the Development of French in Louisiana), an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the French language and culture in Louisiana, joins Discover Lafayette to discuss the agency’s mission and work.

Born and raised in the New Brunswick province of Canada, Peggy grew up speaking French, enjoying the outdoors with deer and moose in her backyard. Fishing and hunting activities were prevalent, just like in Louisiana. While her region of Canada was predominantly Francophone, she learned English in school; some of her family spoke English, but it was not her first language. Peggy admits that she still thinks and dreams in French. And interestingly, she remembers watching American television and enjoying English-speaking shows such as Growing Pains and Family Ties which helped her in learning the English language.

While Louisiana, and South Louisiana in particular, had many French-speaking citizens, the language was looked upon as uneducated and backward by some sectors of society. In 1921, a new Louisiana Constitution was adopted that mandated English as the official language of instruction in public schools. This effectively banned the use of French in classrooms. Many old-timers and their descendants clearly remember the shame felt when being ridiculed by teachers for using their native French language in school. The number of French-speaking people in Louisiana began to dwindle drastically as the decades passed.

James “Jimmy” Domengeaux, a prominent Lafayette attorney and former U.S. Congressman, was instrumental in founding CODOFIL as a means to stop the loss of French-speaking Louisianians. CODOFIL was established in 1968 with the goal of preserving and promoting the French language and culture in the state. The council played a key role in advocating for French education and cultural programs, particularly in the Acadiana region of Louisiana. CODOFIL was empowered to “do any and all things necessary to accomplish the development, utilization, and preservation of the French language as found in Louisiana for the cultural, economic and touristic benefit of the state”.

Appointed by then Louisiana Governor John McKeithen, Domengeaux served as CODOFIL’s first president from its creation until his death in 1988. Domengeaux was passionate about revitalizing French language education, and under his leadership, CODOFIL helped reintroduce French into Louisiana public schools. His work faced challenges, such as a lack of qualified teachers and resistance from some English-only advocates, but Domengeaux’s efforts laid the foundation for a French cultural renaissance in the state.

CODOFIL is an agency of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, under the direction of Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. It is the only agency physically situated outside of Baton Rouge and is housed in the former Lafayette City Hall across the street from our Lafayette Parish Court House. COD)FIL has been housed there since the mid-1980s except for a period (2014 – 2019) when extensive renovations were undertaken. It is a bright, beautiful space which delights visitors and employees alike.

The hiring of international French teachers began in 1972. The recruitees from France and Belgium were flown to Louisiana in chartered planes and landed in Baton Rouge where they were met by yellow school buses and driven to their respective parishes. Approximately 100 teachers would be hired each year.

One teacher from Belgium was Phillippe Gustin, who moved here in 1974 from Belgium. He ended up staying and went on to lead the Lafayette International Center for 28 years, serving as an outstanding ambassador for Lafayette and Acadiana in promoting business and cultural opportunities.

Peggy moved to Louisiana 25 years ago to teach French in the St. Martin school system for CODOFIL. At the time, CODOFIL advertised in Canada to recruit French teachers, just as they do today. She knew someone in Lafayette and was aware of the huge superstar, Zachary Richard, and got on the waitlist to be a teacher in Acadiana. Her goal was to be here in the States for one year, out of what could be a potential three-year U. S. Visa work permit.

Peggy taught in Cecilia Junior High and High School for six years, and also worked for the Louisiana Department of Education as a consultant in French education to recruit other French teachers. “I loved it! I knew what it meant to move from another country. It’s a culture shock to move overseas to Louisiana. It can be hard to get used to.” And may we add…..Peggy ended up staying for much longer than ever originally planned due to meeting her now husband, Scott Feehan, at Festival International de Louisiane.

“Immersion is certainly one of the best ways to teach French. Only one hour once a week makes it tough to learn. In immersion, the children think in French and research shows that one disruption in English take a kid up to 20 minutes to come back to the language. Once they hear English, they start talking English to their friends before they switch back to French. If you have long hours of French, that’s when development occurs and the kids learn. It works!”

Peggy’s role as Executive Director of CODOFIL involves overseeing efforts to support French immersion programs in schools, maintain cultural ties with Francophone regions, and advocate for French-speaking communities in the state. Today there are 144 internationally recruited French teachers statewide who work in French immersion programs in 17 school districts. Peggy spoke of the challenges in recruiting as there is a shortage of teachers worldwide. This year was a banner year for CODOFIL’s recruiting with approximately 62 new French teachers from France, Belgium, Canada, Cameroon, Senegal and the Ivory Coast of Africa.

For the teachers recruited from France, their retirement benefit is paid by France. The teachers are considered to be on sabbatical and their time spent teaching in the U. S. counts toward their retirement. They progress in their profession as if they were working in France. And of course, then France has to hire replacement teachers to do the job in their local schools. Peggy noted that French President Emmanuel Macron is proud to have French teachers in the U. S. to shine the light on the French culture internationally.

When asked about the benefits of studying and becoming fluent in French in lieu of Spanish, Peggy stated, “There will always be enough jobs for Spanish speakers. But if you speak French, you have something that not a lot of people have. There are many jobs out there that require French. It’s a tool in your tool belt that gives your more opportunities and less competition to be hired for a position. Come over to the French side!”

Festivals are a great attraction for French-speaking individuals and they come here by the thousands and spend tens of millions of dollars in South Louisiana. Peggy said, “We could double our employees and we still wouldn’t have enough to meet the potential demand for Francophone speakers. We could do so much more.” While exact numbers for Francophone visitor spending specifically tied to festivals are not readily available for this interview’s purpose, it is clear that their economic contribution plays a vital role in supporting the local economy, particularly in the Acadiana region where French culture is celebrated.

CODOFIL also works to emphasize the importance of maintaining Louisiana’s unique French heritage and culture, which has deep historical roots in the state due to its colonial past. CODOFIL puts on exhibits across the state from time to time, and recently finished “Louisiana French: Preserve and Evolve” in Jennings. The exhibition was held to demystify Louisiana French and Louisiana Creole and the way these languages have shaped the state. The exhibit will be held next in Abbeville.

Another initiative of CODOFIL is French Tables or “Tables Françaises,” a grass roots effort to encourage camaraderie among French speaking individuals. There are dozens of French Tables across Louisiana and the organizers are private individals who are interested in promoting the French language and culture. They decide when, where, and how often they will meet at gatherings where only French is spoken at the table and can call upon CODOFIL for guidance if needed.

Peggy Feehan’s leadership has contributed to the growth of French language initiatives, fostering stronger cultural connections between Louisiana and other French-speaking regions globally. She loves her job and says, “It is truly an honor to be a part of CODOFIL. As long as they will keep me, I am so happy to be here!”

We thank Peggy Feehan and her entire team at CODOFIL for their work and outstanding commitment to preserving Louisiana’s unique cultural heritage.

For more information, visit https://www.crt.state.la.us/cultural-development/codofil/. And please note that the website is being improved and the new site will be launched in approximately six months. You can also call CODOFIL at [phone] or visit their office at 217 W. Main Street, Lafayette LA 70501.