The Ten Commandments by which I do Abide…

This week is kind of hectic and nerve-racking… Just imagine! I have two students who will be tested for their oral skills in French on the very same day next week, plus another one a few days later…  Most people do not understand why I care so much… after all, teaching is only a job! Well… I have news for them! Teaching is anything but a job!

Teaching is about giving… teaching is about being a “friend” and a “parent” at the same time… teaching is about tough love… teaching is about unconditional support… teaching is about having a real good radar… teaching is about excellent interpersonal skills… and, sometimes, teaching leaves you totally drained and exhausted! Therefore anyone looking for a 9 to 5 job should never contemplate the idea of being a teacher… also anyone who decides to be a teacher based upon trivial stuff such as “summer off” and “two weeks off during the Christmas Holidays” lives in Dreamland and should think twice before entering the field of education… and anyone who is driven by money-making, by getting fame or by being universally acclaimed will never be able to teach: teaching means working in the shadow… backstage…

I never wanted to be a teacher… but, just like blood, teaching skills run into someone’s veins… consequently whatever I did in my early career led me to “teach”, one way or another… In other words, I couldn’t run away from what I was born to be… Yet I could not picture myself teaching kids and I did not like the way adults were taught… I finally embraced what I was best at, but I did it my way… I took risks, probably way too many… it was not always easy to fight obsolete systems! Today I am well established, thanks to my perseverance and my beliefs…

I can no longer count how many sleepless nights I went through in the past 20 years… I lost track of the number of hours I dedicated to developing and designing my unique program and method… yet I can remember the exact number of times I have been sick in my stomach while each of my trainees were tested! I remember every face, every name, every strength, every weakness…

Cathy

Heather

Andrew

Rosalind

Sue

Gary

John

Ian

Howie

Kate

Ross

Cyndie

Tish

Tricia

Glen

Graham

Alison

Kandal

Jennifer

Bob

Ray

Delphine

Donna

James

Zito

Jackie

Danny (who is no longer with us, but forever in our memories…)

And the list goes on… and on… Those great individuals are my success stories! If they learned from me, I certainly did learn from them as well…

If I were given the power to change something in the world, I would choose to eradicate all those pseudo-teachers who are more harmful than helpful! Teaching is not something someone should do while waiting for a better job! I have seen too many people turn into language teachers overnight (to certain extent, it is sickening…)!… Teaching languages is as important as teaching any other subjects and it should be taken seriously… Unfortunately, it is not the case! For instance, here in Ottawa, anyone who can speak French can be recruited as a French teacher by any of the languages schools abounding in the National Capital Region… and it is a shame!

Here is the list of the ten commandments by which I do abide… and anyone who wishes to be a teacher should make sure they can follow them, otherwise they will never be successful and they will end up hating their job!

• My students are my main concern and whatever I do, I take their best interest into account over my own interest.
• I show flexibility and understanding at all times.
• I do not hesitate to work extra hours on special assignments.
• Because of my high demands and expectations, I cannot be nice all the time and I must be able to be tough when required.
• I use my creativity to make my students’ learning enjoyable and I must do everything I can to facilitate the process.
• I must know right away when my students are overwhelmed, preoccupied or exhausted and I must alleviate their pain by distracting them, not pushing them even harder.
• I am there to support them and I use positive reinforcement instead of negative reinforcement.
• I give them some space so they can be themselves, use their creativity and be active in their learning process.
• I may be the authority in my field of expertise (in the classroom), but I am not authoritarian! Teaching does not mean dictatorship.
• I must encourage them, comfort them when needed and… most of all, I must LOVE them all (and I do)!

The day I will not be able to follow my own rules, je tirerai ma révérence pour de bon… only because I will know I am no longer a good teacher!

On this final note, I have to prepare special homework for Alice… I promised I would send her a text in which she will be able to practice her verbs (all tenses and all moods blended in the same story)… Yes! It is how teachers spend their evenings when they are not blogging!

Alice, Susan and Jessica…

My heart goes to you girls!