I rarely read in French. Probably because most of my favorite authors are writing in English, so I don’t see a valuable reason to read a French version of a book that I could read in its original version. You get the idea.
But I read « L’élève au coeur de sa réussite » by French teacher and writer Marie-Hélène Fasquel. And I loved it.
I heard about Miss Fasquel because of the Global Teacher Prize, to be honest. My teachers at the University of Grenoble were speaking about her with sparkles on their eyes, so I decided to « take a look ». And I just fell for it; she is not an usual teacher. We are talking about someone who couldn’t stop working while laying on a hospital bed. Who believes that the teacher’s role is inspirational. The fact that she was a French teacher was, for me, another reason to read this book.
I am not a huge fan of the French educational system, despite having a mother who worked there for 35 years. I think they could do better, in a lot of ways. A lot of my friends are teachers now, and most of them aren’t motivated anymore, after only a couple of years of practice. There is a huge gap between the government’s expectations and the reality, as Miss Fasquel wrote herself.
Being passionate is key when you are a teacher. And Miss Fasquel proves it during 180 pages. I am not saying that I agree with everything she wrote. I would have loved to read more about her techniques and some other examples than reading about the Global Prize itself, but that’s my opinion, and I understand why she wrote about the experience.
I would like to thank Miss Fasquel: in France, teachers are sometimes seen as « lazy people », « always on vacations », just « reading off books ». She proved that being a teacher was way more than that and she deserved to be known.
Dear Miss Fasquel : I can’t wait to meet you in November at the TESOL France convention. Also, I honestly think you should translate your book in English, because your adventure deserves to be share.
Right through my journey 