Education is one of the most important elements in the development of not just an individual, but a society as a whole. To be able to impart knowledge and have an impact on a person’s learning is what attracted me to build a career in the teaching profession. Personally, I have always been intrigued by new languages and culture, and being from a multicultural background, deepened this interest further. Learning and teaching a foreign language requires one to have excellent listening skills, memory and also an open mind to accept the differences that come up. Learning and teaching French not only helped me and my students in building these skills, but also constantly improving them along with learning about a new culture and literature.
My interest in French sparked at a very early age due to my French teacher.
While most of my teachers used to emphasise only on the lessons in the book, my French teacher used different techniques, an individualistic style and emphasised on enjoying the process of learning a new language/ subject. She used various resources like worksheets, online videos, bilingual story books and clips to make the sessions interesting and interactive. I learned the importance about the method of teaching, how it can have an impact on a student and how teaching is an extremely noble and giving profession. I understood that the role of a teacher is not just restricted to the course material alone. It is a challenge to teach a foreign language but if the teachers use a fun approach which goes beyond the curriculum, it can make a difference. The needs of a child are very individual, and as a teacher to have a different approach in dealing with each child always helps to achieve better results. This interest and passion for the subject drove me to further pursue studying and teaching French.
On discovering my immense interest in the subject and plan to pursue teaching in future, my professor mentored me to recognise this beautiful world and helped me develop awareness on how to maximise student’s participation and engagement in the classroom by using diverse activities. She also exposed me to the importance of cultivating student-teacher relationship.
While pursuing the professional courses (DELF A1-B2) in India, I started conducting tuitions. This experience helped me develop my teaching skills along with communication skills. The experience of teaching in schools in India and United States to different age groups has taught me how to interact and teach each child as per their learning capacity. This experience helped me understand that teaching can be done using different methods and there is no fixed route to learning. A teacher needs to mould herself/himself as per the child’s learning ability and comfort. Some children like to write and learn, some like to memorise and some prefer to understand the topic in their own simple words. Understanding the learning needs of the students in the classroom and helping them achieve the goals whilst they are in their comfort zone is what evolved me into a better teacher. The job involved lesson planning, curriculum development and a lot of one to one interaction with the students. On a personal front, I am a mother of two beautiful children, and each of them have their own personality. As a mother my aim is to let them discover themselves and their path whilst being a moral guide for them. This characteristic of being a guide and at the same time let kids/ students discover and carve a path for themselves has provided me a great sense of satisfaction both personally and professionally.
I truly believe that a teacher plays a very vital role in the development of a child’s mind and impacts their choices in the long run. A teacher helps to make learning an enhanced experience which will be valued and cherished by the child, whatever their age may be. Talking specifically about French, I have met and taught French to various multi-lingual students during my teaching experience and realised that my multi-lingual knowledge helped them relate to the subject and develop an interest in learning the language with ease. Also, my solid educational background along with more than 4 years of teaching experience to various age groups will help me create a highly motivated and organised environment for students learning.
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