I am a native French speaker (France French) offering French classes! I love teaching and engaging students in the learning process. I hope to make your journey as francophiles very exciting :)

Find out more about Awa

• When and why did you develop an interest in your chosen field?

  I am a native French Speaker, and French has always been one of my favourite subjects.I started developing a deep interest in French literature, dissertation and poetry in my high school years where the emphasis was more on proper grammar, written expression as well as delivering presentations. It was hard to learn and difficult at times, but very rewarding. I have always been passionate about cultures and language learning. I had the opportunity to serve as a Teacher assistant and teacher for many students. I dived more into ways to become more eloquent during my university years where I would use my communication skills thoroughly, and see the value of my background as a Francophone.

• What makes you passionate about your subject?

  French has always been all around me. It's my first language and an important part of my identity. To me, it was always effortless to speak and understand it. However, I did understand the difficulty for most to grasp it. I think that many people like the language as much as I do, but had to learn it in a very strict and superficial way which didn't pique their interest. A lot of my students wanted to ameliorate their elocution, but didn't practice enough or didn't have the motivation to start. I believe that French is a beautiful language that many are eager to learn. I also know that it can be very daunting and challenging. I enjoyed and still enjoy teaching my students the knowledge I have acquired as a Francophone and French tutor. Teaching French in a laid-back manner gradually became highly enjoyable. I believe that anyone can learn French and acquire fluency as long as they practice consistently.

• What do you like about tutoring? What makes you a "Superprof"?

  I love teaching. My experience as a teacher assistant then tutor cemented my interest in teaching. There was always this thought on the back of my mind that it would be awesome to deliver French in a palatable and interactive way to help people be engaged, explore the beauty of the language, and learn as much as possible. I enjoy providing insight, expertise and help to Francophiles and anyone interested in learning. I like meeting new students. It is highly enjoyable as a francophone to see people that demonstrate a real interest in the language and try their best to build fluency. It's a very interesting process to see how much progress they make with time. It's rewarding to feel that they can extract value from the lessons as we move forward with the course.
  
  I think my method is mainly oriented around interactivity. I try to cover everything from written expression/ comprehension, oral expression/compression, vocabulary, and pronunciation, phonemes (at the student's request). I think communication is key, cross-talk between me and the students always leads to better adjustments for the lesson as I address their weaknesses and concerns.I try to make the content as engaging and interesting as possible. To me, the quality of my work needs to meet the student where they are in their learning journey. I try to deliver lessons of high quality that suit their needs and concerns and allow them to see real progress. I know that the downfalls of teaching are that it can get monotonous and too static which I try my best to address with enthusiasm and more interactive materials.

• Do you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you? Please explain.

  One of my role models is Antoine de Saint Exupéry. He is known for having written « The Little Prince », a story that explores the thematics of exile, grief, solitude, and allegorically gives substance to human values through different characters. I think his book was very criticized because it had this infantile tone to it, and people failed to realize how imbricated it was as you could see it both in the perspective of the adult who was robbed of his child's eyes by time and the world, and the infant who had lost his way home. Both were necessary, complementary and needed each other to give body to the story and reveal what is important illustrated by:« On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux ».I think the message of the book resonated with me. It's a great and uncomplicated book for beginners.
  
  Boris Cyrulnik is another role model of mine. He is one of France's favourite psychoanalysts and professors but also has many credentials under his belt. He survived occupation in 1944 and is famous for coining the term « résilience » and theorizing how the story or self-narratives we tell ourselves can influence our subjective world and the way we act. He is very poignant and eloquent and is a great communicator. I like the way he delivers his talks. He is very genuine and informative which inspires me a lot. I think his talks can be great for intermediate to advanced level students.

• What are your keys to success?

  Those are my tips to build fluency in French:
  
  1. Learn pronunciation first.
  
  2. Don't translate.
  -Think in the language and speak in the language.
  -Try to put aside your main language as much as possible to build fluency.
  -Don't decode the sentences word by word, always re-phrase in your own words.
  
  3. Use spaced repetition systems
  -Flashcards, custom study plans that drive info deep into your long-term memory and supercharge memorization.
  -Use computerized learning tools to learn the vocab and grammar rules (example: anky).
  
  4. Practice consistently and don't give up, with time your efforts will be rewarded.