Ali Al Maqtari

Affiliation

Grace Church School

Biography

Ali Al-Maqtari is an educator and linguist with over twenty-one years of experience teaching French and Arabic across secondary and higher-education institutions. He has taught at Yale University, Rice University, Dartmouth College, and Iona College, where he inspired students through courses that integrated language, culture, and critical inquiry. He holds a Master’s degree in French Education and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in French Literature and Civilization at Horizons University in Paris. His doctoral research examines the pedagogical and cultural dimensions of teaching French as a second language to anglophone learners in monolingual contexts, focusing on pronunciation, motivation, and oral production. Mr. Al-Maqtari presently teaches at Grace Church School in New York City, where he designs innovative French and Arabic curricula emphasizing authentic communication, intercultural awareness, and student engagement. A passionate polyglot, he speaks Arabic, English, French, and Amharic—an asset that enriches his teaching and research by linking linguistic theory with lived multilingual practice. He regularly attends professional workshops and presents at national conferences, including the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) and ACTFL. His work continues to advance research and practice in second-language pedagogy, highlighting the transformative power of multilingualism as a bridge between cultures and communities.