Isabelle Stevenson Breton - Private native French tutor based in Kent but teaching online all over the world - Tailor-made lessons for language and exams.

Find out more about Isabelle

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

  My Mum always says it was in my blood.... Because from age 6/7, when I had started school and absolutely loved it, I would spend hours in my bedroom with my dolls, each perched on a chair with a book, a piece of paper and a pen in hand, playing teacher! My dolls had mainly dictation as homework : a favourite of mine!
  My passion for the French language never wavered and I became a journalist in my town, before travelling the world, then training as a French teacher so I could share the language and culture with all I met. I taught many years in schools before becoming a self-employed tutor, when my children were little and it was easier to teach from home. Still today, my work is my passion.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  he topics we discuss ? Absolutely everything! And in French of course! Many of my adult students have been with me for years, because they genuinely love the language and want to keep learning about the culture. This means I know them well and can prepare material that exactly suit their needs and interests, whether it be literature, current affairs, French culture in general, grammar, specific vocabulary, etc.
  Students come to me for many reasons : they have exams to take ; they have bought a house in France and want to be proficient and fully enjoy life there ; they need it for their career ; they want to make the most of their holiday ; they just love the language and want to keep progressing, etc. For this reason my work is varied : from beginners to fluent speakers ; from exam practice, writing essays, to discussing the news.
  I like to welcome each student with a cup of tea/coffee, which I make whilst we talk about their week, allowing them to practice in a real conversational environment, before we start the lesson.

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  Yes, I can think of one teacher in particular. I was about 13 and he was my French, History and Geography teacher for three years (bright guy!). He was truely inspirational for many reasons : his knowledge on all three subjects was immense and there was no question he could not answer, or so it seemed. You could tell he was passionate about his subjects ; his lessons made sense ; he was of course a great storyteller, and to me he seemed fulfilled and content. There was no messing around in his class either, we respected him because he respected us, and himself ; he never refused a discussion, he would listen to our points and then give his informed and honest opinion.
  French, History and Geography remained -with English- my favourite and strongest subjects, and in those three years I also acquired a love of learning, reading ; discovered I was a good speller and essay writer ; and forever linked learning to happiness, freedom and respect.
  Because life is always full of surprises, many years later, when I was working for the local newspaper, guess who came to my desk to publish an article ? Yes, Monsieur Cloix himself! Amazingly, he had not changed that much....but not so surprisingly it took him a while to recognise and remember me. We had a good chat and somehow I felt proud to be a journalist and show him all his good work had not been in vain....

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  Like with Monsieur Cloix I think deep knowledge and passion for what you teach are a must. How else could you engage with and inspire students to give their best? Apart from that, as a teacher of adults (mainly) I think a great rapport is essential, and it is always born of mutual respect, good listening skills and patience.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  I can remember being completely baffled once, when I was teaching a new group at l'Alliance Francaise in London, when one evening a (mature) student started reading to the class his written piece of homework and I discovered most of it was in English! To be more precise, a sort of broken English, or an English pronounced with a French accent. Really bizarre! He proceeded and I corrected the first few words as he went along, thinking he had not found the French equivalent word, but then soon realised -along with all the other students, looking at me equally confused- it would not do : every second word or so was in English! Perplexed I asked the student if he had had trouble remembering of finding the vocabulary, but he looked as confused as me and said that, on the contrary, he had looked them up in the dictionary... "But you have used English words", I said gently, disbelieving. "No, I didn't!", he protested, opening his dictionary to prove me wrong. This is when I discovered that, having looked a word up in English for its translation, he had in fact taken the first word he had encountered after it, which was the phonetic, in brackets (explained the odd pronunciation), and ignored the translation that followed.
  With that mystery solved, a valuable lesson was learnt : not everyone has used a bilingual dictionary before, not everyone has tried to learn a foreign language before, or even been much exposed to it, and definitely no-one wants to feel silly or different on their second day at night class. Luckily it was a good-natured class, we all shared silly stories, had a good laugh, and eventually everyone had a little piece of homework involving using the bilingual dictionary ....

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  Challenges are part of the job and I embrace them! Every student is different. Different background in learning a foreign language, different way and pace of learning, different amount of time to dedicate to it, different aims, etc..... I guess the most challenging for me has been to work with two students with dyslexia, because my use of written material had to be adapted or scraped, but we found ways and all learnt something from the experience.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  I have to confess I am quite fond of grammar. Very fond in fact. But that does not mean I impose it on students ; I only use the required dose. What it does mean, however, is that I am always very willing to answer all their questions on the subject and I like to see their faces illuminate, as they finally get it.

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering this interview questions :-P)?

  I know I always come highly recommended to prospective students, and I get very nice feedback indeed from existing ones. I love what I do and dedicate myself totally to every lesson and student ; I think it shows and bears fruit. I think my job is wonderful ; I get to do what I like most, in my home, and I have very eager visitors each day who arrive and leave happy!