Isn`t it funny the poeple you meet in this job? It was the first time for me to teach my man to man student at Smiths Kyobashi this year so we spent the first few minutes of the class doing introductions. While we were doing this she asked me where I came from and I told her that I was from England. All of a sudden her eyes lit up and her manner changed. `I`ve been to England twice`, she said excitedly. As it turned out she had spent a couple of months on two occasions studying in Oxford and she relished the opportunity to be able to share her experiences with someone in English who could relate to her time abroad. The conversation then went on to cover such topics as turrets, Eton, The Mystery Channel, pubs and the weather.
It`s always one of those things that I love to have happen in a class, and that is to form a link with the student and to have a common reference point that allows us to bridge the gap between coach and student. Once the gulf has shortened then the student relaxes and slips off their anxiety and can feel a little more at ease to speak.
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