This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

For over 20 years, Robert Kenfack has been teaching French across the world, from numerous countries in Africa and Europe to Brookline. Kenfack is a music aficionado who learned to play traditional African songs on his acoustic guitar at his high school in Cameroon. He said he feels a special connection to the high school because of the students’ freedom and the atmosphere they create in the halls.

Where has your teaching journey taken you?

I’ve been teaching French for all my life, more than 20 years. I taught middle school. My first place to teach was at Bridgewater High School. From Bridgewater High School, I moved to Riviera High School, Canton High School and now this is my first year [at Brookline High School].

What differentiates Brookline High School from other schools you have taught at?

I was so impressed by the climate; people are so friendly. They are always ready to help each other, and the way students behave is wonderful. They have a sense of responsibility, a sense of freedom. I haven’t seen any students running in the hallway. [At] other schools, you see people running in the hallways, screaming and kicking doors. Here, you will see students in groups talking smoothly and working together. That’s what I like. This is a wonderful place to be. I love it.

Where did you attend high school?

I’m from Cameroon, in the central part of Africa, a bilingual country. You speak both French and English in Cameroon. It’s a French colony and at the same time a British colony. So I’m from the French-speaking part of Cameroon. I grew up learning both French and English. I went to university in Cameroon. I became a teacher in Cameroon as well.

What made you want to be a teacher and, specifically, a world language teacher?

It’s the only way you can meet different people, mix with people and learn new cultures. I decided to become a French teacher because I was impressed by one of my teachers. I met a lot of people. I learned more about different cultures from different speakers. I traveled to many French-speaking countries: Ivory Coast, Gabon, France and Belgium.

What is one thing you cannot live without?

Music. A lot of types of music: African music, it’s traditional music; sometimes a mixture with blues, jazz and country music; Taylor Swift; I used to love Michael Jackson.