Busier than a Bee!

Time flies these days!… I really do not have time to complain about winter, traffic or OC Transpo… which actually is a good thing! If you want to forget about annoying stuff, just keep busy with something interesting… it is the best medicine I know!

Yesterday I had planned to go out and do my weekly errands… finally my day was turned upside down and I even forgot to take my garbage out! For the past several days I have been working on some new projects and it actually went quicker than expected. First I had to buy some new hardware for my computer so I would be able to offer online training to my clientele. Thanks to Jay who is a computer geek and set me up in no time Saturday morning. Of course I could have done it myself, I am no moron, yet if anything had gone wrong I would have started sweating! I have little (if none at all) patience for computer bugs and I get nervous fast… Therefore I always make sure I have some expert around to either guide me or do it for me. However, once everything is hooked up and working fine, I love to play my new toys and learn how to use them efficiently. À chacun sa spécialité quoi!

I will certainly keep you posted on how things will go with this new feature. But, for now, I will update you on Seema’s first week as a full-time student of French. I knew she would need some time to adjust and I had decided to be patient for a change… she would eventually contact me to talk about her experience.

I received an email from her on Friday evening: apparently her Thursday morning had been a tough one… her teacher had pushed her a little too much regarding her pronunciation! Seema’s mother tongue is Hindi and English is her second language… now she is learning a third one. It is obvious when she speaks English that she has a foreign accent, which I personally find quite attractive… and she has been speaking English for a very long time… Who would expect her to speak French like a native speaker does?… This is something I will never get: why do those language schools focus so much on something that will not come in  a few months? and might never come either?… Who cares if someone has an accent that tells people they are not native French speakers? Do you?… There are other things to deal with, such as good grammar, accurate vocabulary, verb tenses and proper syntax. Pronunciation gets better with time… it is useless to force this issue because it will not accelerate the process… it will just traumatize the student!

On the other hand, when I spoke on the phone with Seema yesterday morning, she was in good spirits… She said she was tired physically (sit on the same chair for seven hours in a row without moving much is quite uncomfortable after a few days on this diet!) yet mentally sharp… unlike most people who are totally drained and brain dead after the first week. As for grammar, apparently both her teachers are kind of confused and do not really know what to work on with her… Seema might be a débutante yet she knows a great deal about grammar and syntax! For me it is the key to learning… If I give my students solid foundations in grammar and force them to apply any new notion systematically, they will not struggle as much when they will have to work on their oral skills. Same thing with syntax… they learn from the beginning how to follow the same order for each and every sentence: it does not take long to become a reflex!

Sujet – (ne) Verbe (pas) (adverbe) – objet direct – objet indirect – objet de lieu – objet de manière – objet de temps

The only object they are allowed to move in a sentence is l’objet de temps, which can be moved at the beginning of the sentence and no where else! Easy enough!!!

Seema already asked for one of her teachers to be replaced… she tried, but she could not connect with him. It is very important for her to be able to engage with her teachers… actually it should be a pre-requisite, not only for her, but for all students. Learning will not occur if there is no connection and no trust… I am indeed very proud of her! She took control of her learning (she is the one who knows what works best for her to make progress) and she is not afraid of demanding!… I think she will survive her full-time training because she is 100% involved and, when she will not be satisfied, she will do whatever it takes to get things back on track. I am not worried about her!…

I finally heard from Alice yesterday morning… she sent me the email (so that I could review it) she intends to send her colleagues today… French Mondays, you remember?… Even away, she takes the time… good for her! Instead of giving them the usual grammar tips and a list of new words, she wrote about her daily life in the boot camp. Apparently, last week was kind of exciting because she chatted about Obama’s Inauguration and OC Transpo strike, finally two topics of some interest that she was allowed to discuss! When I read that part, I could not help but smile… I had this vision of Alice in a very small box where she can hardly move! Actually she should be allowed to talk about anything happening in the world or in her own backyard!… But… she is in a box and, most of the time, the lid is on… Courage Alice! Another two months and you will be free… with, hopefully, a C in your pocket…

Now I have to take care of a couple of requests for French crash courses… Mrs. Fix my problems to the rescue!…

“Je trouve que la télévision est très favorable à la culture, chaque fois que quelqu’un l’allume chez moi, je vais dans la pièce d’à côté et je lis”

Groucho Marx