Stephen

Stephen Tutor Interview

Q. Hi Stephen! This is the first time for us to interview a French tutor. C’est un plaisir de vous rencontrer!(はじめまして） Could you please tell me a bit about yourself?

A. Bonjour ! Thank you ! I’m very pleased to meet you too. My name is Stephen Legendre. I am a language teacher but also a professional health coach, helping people to find peace and truth in their life; So I would say that I am a “zen teacher” or a teacher at peace. I am not married but a clairvoyant said to me a few weeks ago that I would marry in Australia with someone I would meet end of next year which I take seriously as I intended to visit Australia next year and she didn’t know it!

Q. I understand you’re from France but you currently live in the UK. Can you tell us about both these places and why you moved from one to the other?

A. Well, I actually live in both countries. After I finished my university studies in the south of France, I went back to Edinburgh Scotland where I had spent almost a year for my MD (Master’s Degree) and as I wanted to stay there for personal reason, I decided to undergo the PGCE qualification to become a teacher which had always been in the list of the jobs I wanted to do.

Q. How do you like your current town in the UK? Are there any significant difference between France and the UK?

A. My town in the UK is fine, rather busy but like it as I can do sports, I have good friends and the shops are quite good. My place in France is the opposite, it’s isolated in the mountains and I like the peace, the wild life and the weather is beautiful 7 months a year as it is in the south.

Q. For French beginners, what do you do first in your lesson? In other words, do you have any recommend preparation method for beginners?

A. I am very used to teaching beginners. I have my own programme that I made myself and which works really well but according to students I can quickly change path and have a combination of this programme and a new method that use which all my students love as it’s about working with pictures and it speeds up the learning with no pain. Japanese students react differently to my lessons if I may compare them to Europeans or Americans and it is very understandable as the thinking and the way of saying is so different but I got used to it and it is now very nice and I now feel comfortable and I feel that it benefits my students for their learning.

Q. It says in your lesson description for “French – Beginner Level” that you can teach in English. For Japanese students that might be a good way to kill two birds with one stone – learn some French and practice English at the same time! Do you think your students feel the same way?

A. Yes, exactly, some students told me that they liked the fact that they could also practice their English. But my classes are a lot of French speaking and my students participate as much as me so if they want a teacher to make them express and speak a lot, here I am!

Q. What is your No.1 passion in life?

A. My No.1 passion is spiritual. Since childhood I have always wanted to know about the truth of life and especially this past decade. Most of my students don’t know about that as I don’t tell as we just learn French, but I do a daily 60 to 90 minute meditation and I have started writing a book about how to find peace, deep happiness and experience synchronicity attract the best in life…

Q. Okay, what do you recommend to students if they want to practice their French during their everyday lives outside of a lesson.

A. I often send audios to students after their class so they can hear what they have learned In class and they can practice at home. Some of my students told me that they listen to these audios in their car or on their MP3. I also recommend them to review their previous class. Their attitude is as important, I have once visited Tokyo and I loved the Japanese people, So I recommend them to be very Japanese, which is quiet, joyful, not afraid of work and have trust in their abilities.

Q. Finally, could you give a message for all the aspiring Francophones on Cafetalk?

A. Yes, I will speak to them directly then, if you are interested in learning French but you don’t dare or you think that it would be difficult, just get rid of the doubts for a minute, give yourself a chance, come to me and I will show you how well you can do. I don’t bite, I’m have the reputation of being patient and kind, stimulating, encouraging so don’t hesitate!

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Stephen

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