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PROFILE: B. Shorter-BagotWhile we're best known internationally for our Cultural Immersion French Program, Coeur de France also pitches in to help our local community with English and German classes for French residents. From specialized technical courses like "English for Winemakers" to just lending a helping hand to local high school students struggling with their first German classes, Coeur de France teachers put their experience and professional qualifications to work.
Professeur d'anglais/français (and so-so crêpes maker): Beth Shorter-Bagot "A typical day begins at 9:00 with a cup of coffee and a chat about what happened over the weekend or the night before – a chance to use past simple. A little discussion about health or the weather brings us to present simple. For the winemakers the weather is of great importance: how the grape vines are and what part of the yearly cycle they are working on at the moment and we arrive at present continuous. Perhaps because I was a dancer, I love exercises. I think they increase flexibility in the language and therefore allow for more freedom. So the class may begin with some oral exercises in the various tenses depending on the student’s level. Then, on to more oral expression in a game and a role play with the student incorporating the structures and vocabulary we’ve already worked on." What do you find interesting about your work? "The semantic universe is interesting: that certain words describe ideas that don’t exist in other languages. For instance, when I want to say “I’m upset” in French, I have to decide if I am vexed, annoyed, hurt, or saddened because there is no exact equivalent. However, most of the time an equivalent can be found but it is fascinating when it can’t. But what I find positively inspiring is when students begin to express themselves even with a very limited vocabulary; when the urge to communicate overrides hesitation and self consciousness. It is a wonderful kernel from which other language skills can grow. I always feel privileged to witness it and hope like a good gardener, I’ll be able to coax; weed, and nurture its growth." Any funny stories? "Part of learning a foreign language is working on pronunciation. Perhaps one can never completely erase the foreignness from one’s accent but some pronunciation mistakes lead to embarrassing moments. I had been working on the difference between 'ou' which is pronounced like 'oo' and 'u' which is pronounced like the 'u' in 'student'. We had spent such a long time that at the end of the class my student turned to me, instead of saying 'merci beaucoup' it came out 'merci beau cul': Thank you beautiful ass. Needless to say, we had to begin again!" Beth |
