Comments on: 5 things I learnt teaching English in Grenoble

By: James Dalrymple

James Dalrymple — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 09:02:43 +0000

Hi Bhargav,

I’m not sure I’d describe the French as linguists, but in comparison to Brits they are! But I agree that their biggest obstacle is lack of confidence. I think they get too beaten down by the school system to be proud of the level they have (assuming they are not totally fluent).

james

By: Bhargav

Bhargav — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 22:06:35 +0000

I’ll totally agree with the part where you say the French are linguists.
I was talking to a friend of mine from Paris and he wasn’t too comfortable with speaking English at first, he actually told me his English wasn’t so good. But when I persuaded him to try speaking, – I had to tell him his English was way better than my French – he displayed an amazing grasp of rhetoric! That’s not something you would expect from someone who claims his knowledge of the language is bad, right?

By: James Dalrymple

James Dalrymple — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 10:33:56 +0000

More info here: http://www.grenoblelife.com/bring-out-your-students-creativity-with-tesol-france/

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:51:48 +0000

@ Christina: hi there, I would be most interested in hearing more about this.
Looking forward to reading you.

By: Christina Rebuffet-Broadus

Christina Rebuffet-Broadus — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:03:13 +0000

Hi there James and Elizabeth (and all you other English teachers out there)!

Just saw that James mentioned TESOL France Grenoble and would like to let you know that we are working on putting together a full program of talks, swap shops, etc. for the coming year for anyone who’s interested in professional development (and having a bit of fun at the same time, I must admit!)

More info will be posted in the future, but if you’re interested in joining TESOL France or just want to know a bit more about what it is, please feel free to contact me!

By: James Dalrymple

James Dalrymple — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 08:12:19 +0000

Thanks for your comment Elizabeth,

Happily the TESOL France Grenoble seems to be building into a nice forum for professional development and teacher networking that should have a galvanizing effect on this local industry in lieu of the British Council or International House …

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 07:44:02 +0000

Hello dark horse. You really have hit the nail on the head with all the points you raised here a couple of years ago, except one – Why is there no IH in Grenoble?
You’ve forgotten …. the 100 year war
(if that is what “la guerre de cent ans” is called in English – I have a feeling it’s not called anything, since it’s not part of the Brit culture as it is the French :-P )

Or to put it another way, in the words of Mitch Benn “England and France are like squabbling siblins (…) a lot more similar than we’d ever like to admit, but we’ve been stuck next to each other for so damn long that those tiny differences are really winding us up” http://youtu.be/ZmIWrjNmZ2Q
I learnt during the ELTONs ceremony this year that even the fabulous Alan Maley had done a stint at the British Council Paris apparently without leaving a trace.
The fortress of English language teaching in France is just too well defended against the Brits =)

By: Marianne Raynaud

Marianne Raynaud — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:37:48 +0000

James, I agree totally with what you have written. As for starting an IH or something like it I’m all for. There is a need, and we must find the people who are willing to launch this project. I’m in contact with two schools that could host us, and I have personal contacts with two teachers starting a Cambridge DELTA/CELTA program in Strasbourg (much of it is online). Moreover, I am willing to do teacher trainer as a volunteer to get this going. I know excellent teachers in Paris who are willing to come and talk if we find them a place to stay. My home is always available.

Personally I’d like to start an English DVD club like a book club.

Best wishes,
Marianne Raynaud

By: Helen McEwan

Helen McEwan — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 19:25:41 +0000

I think the nearest centre to here for taking the CELTA would be Geneva.
Perhaps you have your next project mapped out for you James -an International House in Grenoble. As a former IH teacher and teacher-trainer, I can only encourage your thoughts in this direction. I always felt supported, stimulated and inspired by the ongoing training and learning environment. As you have pointed out, this is certainly lacking in my experience of TEFL in Grenoble, but I have moved in a slightly different direction. I am very happy to offer training opportunities to teachers of young learners through my present enterprise.
Congratulations on your career move.

By: James Dalrymple

James Dalrymple — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:46:24 +0000

@ Shohah – agreed, thinking caps at the ready!

@ Woody – yes, there’s more to be said, but 5 is a nice round number! Good point, though, about people thinking English teachers are magicians: as you say, achieving fluency demands a greater input and interest in the language & culture than the facility to explain certain aspects of one’s job.

Above all, I do feel sympathetic for those obliged to invest a lot of time and energy into a language that they use very infrequently and have little passion for – for that I blame the companies who seem to love continously and often unnecessarily raising the bar of skills required for certain jobs.

By: Woody

Woody — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:17:47 +0000

There is a great deal more to be said on this subject James; some people think that English teachers are magicians and we can make people suddenly become fluent with minimal input on their behalf. It’s a constant battle between the English teacher and the human resources department.

You shouldn’t feel guilty about point number 1. I have very often found myself fascinated by my students’ work and so in my desire to help them improve their English, I have tried to get them to talk about things relevant to them in the vague hope that it will improve their language skills, yet, it unfortunately always comes down to a problem with point number 4; they want to be able to talk about hedge funds or the production process involved in making plastic bottles, etc. but in reality, they struggle to even conjugate the verb “to be” correctly.

By: Shonah

Shonah — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 03:50:32 +0000

Poignant and insightful post, James.

Also, I am in full agreement with point number 5. After looking and emailing more than half a dozen people regards doing a teacher training course – to teach CELTA – in this area (I would have even ventured to Lyon) the best that anyone could offer was Paris. No wonder some people say “yes I have visited France, Paris was beautiful”!

Let’s hope your post gets some thinking hats on!

Shonah :->