Cards on the table. Often, when I am with five students in a classroom (the maximum number of students in a class of Ecoles Des Trois Ponts is six) and the instructor asks a question which I do not understand, or do not know the answer to, or I have “drifted off” dreaming of dinner and therefore not paying sufficient attention, I sometimes pretend to have dropped my pen on the floor and hide under the desk. Or I avoid eye contact and say a little prayer in my head (in English) hoping I am not the one to be chosen to answer. A one in six chance I am not selected. The odds are good. I feel I am not alone in this avoidance technique. This tactic is not available when you opt for the 1:1 Intense French Language Course. In this environment you have to pay attention, you have to rely on your French linguistic skills and can not seek assistance from sympathetic class- mates, as there are not any.
For the longest time I could not understand why anyone would put themselves through the torture which is 1:1 French Language Learning. In my opinion, the shared torture of French Tuition in a classroom with like minded others is understandable, and far preferable to going it alone with no support. But in June 2025 my opinion was changed. I had been informed these 1:1 encounters, if taken seriously, could enhance a students French Language Skills considerably and could address repeated mistakes a student was making. My French Teachers had suggested my level of French now needed to be addressed by employing this option…I reluctantly accepted their advice.
So with sincere reservations I took a 1:1 French Language Course when there was only Valerie and I – the instructor who at that time was the Director of Ecole Des Trois Ponts. I was not looking forward to this, unlike the group classes, which I found to be immensely enjoyable. I knew that for the three hours every morning Valerie and I were together, I had to talk and concentrate and think in French. All mistakes were my mistakes. I could not hide under a table. I could not pray she selected another student to answer. All eye contact was with her. Avoidance techniques impossible.
However, what I started off dreading I grew to totally adore. I can honestly state my French Language Skills during these fifteen hours of the week increased tremendously. But it was the fact the time passed quickly and was so enjoyable and completely stimulating for both of us (I think!), that offered the greatest surprise. It was never tedious. It was consistently challenging – but challenging in a good way. I learned a lot.
In 2025 I became a Marriage Commissioner in Canada and have been asked to undertake sections of the Marriage Ceremony in French. I have already asked Valeria if we could study the verbs and vocabulary associated with marriage and weddings during my next 1:1 French Language Classes. In this format classes can be adapted to a student’s individual needs.
In these classes your instructor becomes your friend. You share confidences, secrets, jokes, experiences and time in a language you are not fluent in but grow in confidence in using. You learn so much…but there is still homework. Somethings do not change…
Jayne Seagrave is a BC Best selling Author. The ninth edition of her book Camping British Columbia, the Rockies and the Yukon was published by Heritage House in April 2023. Over 60,000 of her camping books have been sold. She also writes fiction, non-fiction, freelance articles and occasionally teaches writing and publishing courses. See: www.jayneseagrave.com
