My blog - Page 2

Holidays.You need a break to recharge your batteries. They're important to relax the body and mind and to come away with new ideas for lessons and organisation.But these holidays are unpaid! Yes, while teachers in the French education system get 16 weeks pa...

Holidays.You need a break to recharge your batteries. They're important to relax the body and mind and to come away with new ideas for lessons and organisation.But these holidays are unpaid! Yes, while teachers in the French education system get 16 weeks paid holiday, I get 8 weeks a year.Some grumpy people will say that 16 weeks is a lot! Believe me, teachers' nerves are severely tested, and these weeks are necessary.I don't need 2 months of summer, I think that's too much, but 1 week here and there is necessary. So how do I manage my turnover? I anticipate when I'll be able to work more hours and I know ther...

Other people's comments."Ah, but I didn't know that this profession existed? Can you make a living from it?""How I envy you! I haven't liked my job for a long time, I'd love to do what you do".These are the usual remarks I get. Sometimes my husband and I la...

Other people's comments."Ah, but I didn't know that this profession existed? Can you make a living from it?""How I envy you! I haven't liked my job for a long time, I'd love to do what you do".These are the usual remarks I get. Sometimes my husband and I laugh about it, we anticipate these remarks haha! And you, sir, what do you do? senior researcher in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, teleworking for a Parisian company" "Wahhh, that's class! And yes... that's human nature.So, any job can exist, human creativity has no limits. You can create any job you want. And it's not widely known, but more and m...

The idea.I didn't want to teach at the Ministry of Education any more. I no longer wanted to work for a boss. What could I do with my passion? It was an American girl I followed on social networks who gave me the idea, but also... my hairdresser, my boyfrie...

The idea.I didn't want to teach at the Ministry of Education any more. I no longer wanted to work for a boss. What could I do with my passion? It was an American girl I followed on social networks who gave me the idea, but also... my hairdresser, my boyfriend at the time and people who asked me for private English lessons. In the end, it was a whole network of little things that got the ball rolling! I decided to go ahead and offer my English lessons to individuals! There's nothing to lose, everything to gain!

How do you teach TOEIC?First of all, what is TOEIC? It's an exam that allows you to assess your level of English. It's a 3-hour exam with a reading and listening section. The more points you score, the higher your level. In general, companies look for a B2-...

How do you teach TOEIC?First of all, what is TOEIC? It's an exam that allows you to assess your level of English. It's a 3-hour exam with a reading and listening section. The more points you score, the higher your level. In general, companies look for a B2-C1 level.Here are some tips and methods that you, as a teacher, can use with your students:There are as many ways of teaching as there are teachers! With my students, we do mock TOEIC sessions, then we correct (with explanations when they ask me for them! ). In group classes like at IUT or university, these sessions can take longer to correct because several...

How to learn grammarTeaching English also means teaching grammar. Generally speaking, there's the lesson, learning the tenses and then exercises. The problem with exercises is that when students have to write or formulate a sentence orally, they feel stuck,...

How to learn grammarTeaching English also means teaching grammar. Generally speaking, there's the lesson, learning the tenses and then exercises. The problem with exercises is that when students have to write or formulate a sentence orally, they feel stuck, because they've had too many 'crutches' before with gap-filling exercises.What's more, after 12 years, pupils rely totally on French and they model English on French: a fatal error! What I recommend is to explain without taking into account the French system. There is an English system, the English language has its own way of thinking about the world, so th...

It is indispensable to use different educational tools in my life as a teacher.It's no mystery to anyone that groups are now very heterogeneous. It is therefore unthinkable to give the same lessons to everyone and to assess all the students in the same way....

It is indispensable to use different educational tools in my life as a teacher.It's no mystery to anyone that groups are now very heterogeneous. It is therefore unthinkable to give the same lessons to everyone and to assess all the students in the same way.I may well have a group with all these levels at the same time: A0-A1 (rare), A2, B1 B2 (most of the time) and C1 (rare) C2 (never seen).It's perfectly possible! So we adapt and I ask the students to do different tasks depending on what they're capable of doing. If I have an A0 with B1-B2s, I make my A0 work on different tasks, often repeating all the basics...