Not only a passionate teacher and a croissant eater but also a casual diver, a salsa dancer wannabe & a proud cat lady 💃
“Mom, why don’t these kids speak French? Where are they from?”, I’d ask during the summer holidays in a campsite somewhere in the south of France. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been curious about other languages and cultures.
HOWEVER, in school, languages were never my strong point, neither English, nor even less German… From never-ending irregular verbs lists to incomprehensible grammar rules, I didn’t understand the point. Until I decided to stay on an international campus in the beautiful Côte d’Azur while I was studying journalism. There, surrounded by people from ALL AROUND THE GLOBE, I had no choice but to SPEAK.
In just a few months, I reached a fluent level in English. And, and over the years (thanks to some studying and lots of traveling), I also became fluent in Spanish. My English and my Spanish are far from perfect. Yet, my level allows me to CONNECT with so many people from many different countries which, in the end, is what little Elise wanted!
Was the learning in school useless? Certainly not, it taught me the BASICS. Did it lack speaking practice, immersion…? Terribly so. Overall, school failed to spark true motivation in me to learn languages. What I really needed: talking to native speakers, stumbling over words, MAKING MISTAKES and definitely LAUGHING about them!
This is why my classes focus on speaking and include lots of role-playing. We work on real-life situations my students might actually face based on why they’re learning French: ordering at a restaurant, chatting with colleagues by the coffee machine, going to the doctor, striking up conversations with strangers at a party…
Most importantly, I create a safe place where learners feel confident to speak, to make mistakes and to ask me to repeat something (even for the 100th time!). In the end, I believe that speaking a language isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being UNDERSTOOD.