My French Tutor is Trolling Me!
This morning I found this in my inbox, courtesy of my excellent (if not exacting) French tutor:
It read:
Saw this and thought of you…
N.B., I have recently had my hair cut and I do now look a bit like this, (also the girl on the right has my crayons!)
Now, if I were a snowflake, I would probably have run off crying to my Twitter following complaining that I was ‘offended’ and that ‘teachers ought to be supportive’ etc., etc., etc.
Instead, I laughed and made an extra 3 hours in my day to swot for tomorrow’s test!
What is the lesson?
Knowing your student
My French tutor is amazing, genuinely one of the best teachers with whom it has been my privilege to work and in any capacity. He knows my character extremely well and this perfectly timed piece of ‘abuse’ (we used to call it encouragement back when I was at school) certainly did the job.
By poking fun at me, he got the reaction he wanted - an extra 3 hours of hard prep.
As teachers, coaches, and parents it is crucial that we understand and learn how to deal with different characters.
“Fair doesn’t always look the same, it’s different things to different people and that’s fair!”
If my outstanding languages tutor had sent me this instead:
Dear Sarah,
A polite reminder that you have a French assessment tomorrow morning and I am rooting for you to do well, so please ensure you set aside adequate time to revise.
Your Teacher
It certainly would have been deleted on sight accompanied by an eye-roll, and not so much as a second thought (or fig) given!
He knows this very well and so instead chooses to tease, cajole, and/or outright troll!
I LOVE him for it.
A teacher who has the courage to do this kind of thing (i.e., his actual job) and provide BESPOKE education in terms of ‘man-management’ AS WELL as ‘subject specific’ advice and guidance is a DIAMOND.
If you find one do *not* let them go!
Want to learn how to teach FRENCH to your children?
If the answer is ‘yes’ please let me know by hitting ‘reply’ - you only need write ‘yes,’ and I will add you to the list for my upcoming masterclass in “How NOT to teach languages.”
In a 90-minute LIVE WEBINAR, I will take apart the problems with how your son/daughter’s school is teaching modern foreign languages and instead show you how it ought to be done.
As someone who was educated in the UK and then emigrated to France in her early 30’s, I know precisely the problems concerning ‘schoolgirl French’ and the reality of actually speaking French to French people and then being able to understand what they say back to you(!) These things are not the same!
In addition, thanks to my tutor - who is also a professional translator, speaks 4 languages fluently, and an expert linguist in his own right - I have been able to piece together a more rigorous way of learning FRENCH that will smash academic standards in the subject in the UK.
Take action!
If this is something that you would like to learn about then please hit ‘reply’ and send me a ‘yes,’ so that I can gauge interest and get an accurate idea about numbers.
Action conquers fear; be brave, do something.
Sarah Plumley
Thinker-Teacher-Truther