I Touched a Piece of Heaven in 2011

A popular New Year's saying is: "Let us not drink to the past, but to the future."  In this post, I'd like to make an exception.  I'd like to recognize the people and the organizations that brought me a great deal of personal joy and professional satisfaction in 2011.

The TESOL France Conference
I wouldn't be able to keep my sanity as a teacher and as a freelancer without my PLN (Professional Learning Network).  I mentioned it in a previous post that isolation is a teacher's worst enemy.  The individuals I've met through Twitter have provided me with classroom ideas, professional advice and contestant laughs. 

A wave of friends and colleagues arrived in Paris on November 4-6 2011 for the TESOL France Conference I organized.  I'd like to thank the following individuals who contributed to the conference's success. Your words of kindness and support resulted in a marathon of happy tears running down my face.

To:  

The Best Team of 2011

The TESOL France Conference team: Debbie West, Ros Wright, Gillian Evans, Eric Halvorsen, Laurence Whiteside and Jane Ryder who made ELT magic from scratch. It is a genuine pleasure to work with you all.

  To:

The Best Moment of 2011

Vicky Loras, Mike Harrison, Shelly Terrell Arjana Blazic, James Taylor, Dale Coulter, Ceri Jones, Sandy Millin, Shiv Rajendran, Stephen W. Henneberry and Paul Maglione for your thorough Conference Reports and fantastic contributions to the online ELT community.  I hope that others will read your posts and realize that this conference is an event not to be missed!

To:

Willy Cardoso, Brad Patterson, Divya Brochier and Marisa Constantinides for continuing the conference conversations months after the event was over. Marisa, the #ELTCHAT videos are still a pleasure to watch.

And an extra emotional thank you goes out to Matt Ledding, who telepathically understood what drives me to organize TESOL France Conferences.  It really is, as he puts it: in order to shine a light on talents so that we see them and focus on growing and pass that growth on to others.

Working for eduPad 

Best Experience of 2011

I've mentioned to a few colleagues that I didn't have a summer vacation this year.  Instead, I worked for the educational app company, eduPad.  I admit it was the hardest I've ever worked in my entire existence, but I am grateful to the CEO,  Jérôme Serre, and his business partner, Daniel Jasmin, for their faith and encouragement as I hired and managed authors and editors, oversaw mountains of educational content, and formed professional links with educators who put their passion for teaching into the development of eduPad's applications.  

Over the course of three months I juggled busy class schedules and five time zones and worked with highly competent teachers and editors who included a homeschool parent, a physical education expert, scientists, historians, mathematicians, an Iraq War veteran, an SAT author, the incredibly creative Phil Wade, and the inspirational Lisa Dabbs who's insight was instrumental in ensuring the apps met US educational standards.

The Best Students of 2011

The Students at the Management Institute of Paris
Teaching at MIP was one of the most challenging, yet fulfilling, experiences I've ever had.  We all invested enormous amounts of time and energy in the students' development. It wasn't easy because some students had severe learning and behavioral difficulties. It was at MIP I learned the art of "tough love".

I'll never forget the Director of Languages' phone call when he informed me that MIP would be merging with another school in a different part of France. The Paris site was closing permanently. Suddenly, you are slapped with the question, "Was all that energy worth it?"

The process of relocating the students was painful and complicated.  We had to go from training the students for their futures as businessmen and women to counseling them on their transfer to other establishments. As the last day approached like an on-coming freight train, I witnessed inspirational growth in every one of them. In the end, they banded together to ensure the memories wouldn't die, the school's spirit would live on, and they would look after one another.

I wept on the last day, in the street, about a block away from the school.  I wept because they were some of the most creative, resilient and clever students I had ever taught.  They taught me more than they will ever know.  As another quote says: “A new year is unfolding – like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within.”  At MIP, I met dozens of unfolding blossoms. And I was incredibly fortunate to see their beauty within.  

Next year and the years ahead, I hope you witness petals unfolding. And as they do, shine the light on others' talents for us all to see. Continue to focus on growing and pass that growth on to others.

Free Legal Advice in Paris

The English Language Teaching (ELT) profession in France has seen dramatic changes over the last 40 years.  In the 70s, we saw a surge in demand for language instruction and an influx of teachers from English-speaking countries.  In the first part of this century, the demand stayed strong, but laws changed and Americans were denied easy-to-obtain contracts.  Today, the profession is in a bit of a low, companies are cutting back on their spending and language schools and travailleurs independents alike are feeling the pinch.

While a crisis is the perfect opportunity to think outside the box, it's not an opportunity to cheat the system or employees.  And sadly, I've heard of too many examples of the latter.

Granted, some language providers were cheaters even before the crisis.  So, hopefully this post will help them break that nasty habit and replace it with something a little more legal...like, say, nail biting.

Over a lunch of steak, fries and beer, a dear friend and colleague told me of a terrible legal issue she had.  Her French was good, but not good enough to compete with the person who was clearly cheating her.  Moreover, the culprit had a legal background and used that to further intimidate my friend.  She told me of a tiny shack she stumbled upon in the 14th district of Paris: La Maison de la Justice et du Droit du Secteur Paris Sud . Here, she was given FREE legal advice.

Translation of their website:  La Maison allows everyone to learn about their rights and to assert them in everyday life. Hotlines are organized around the themes of daily life: family law, the protected adults (guardianship, trusteeship), housing, labor, consumption, access to French nationality, immigration law, fight against discrimination. For schedules and making an appointment in the house of justice and law, contact us directly.

With the changing tides of the ELT industry in France, I hope you don't need to pay a visit to the Maison. But just in case - there are lawyers there ready and available to help you - free of charge.

Auto-entrepreneur (a wolf in a sheep's clothing?)

I have been called, cornered and accosted by teachers over the past several months asking me to compare the travailleur independent status and the auto-entrepreneur status.

While I am not an auto-entrepreneur (and cannot become one because I'm already a travailleur independent) I've listed a few pros and cons below following an email conversation I had with a teacher.

Being an auto-entrepreneur has its good and bad sides.

Good:

• The social charges can't be beat - you pay 22% in social charges and don't pay income tax on top of that.  That beats being CDD, CDII and Travailleur Independent
• You can charge "pre-charges patronales" prices.  For instance, as a CDII teacher, the going rate per hour is about 22 brut.  However, as an auto-entrepeneur, you could bill the school as much as 35 an hour because they won't be paying any social charges on your salary.   - Ask them about that.

Bad:

• You have to bill the school and keep track of your bills (and be very very organized).
• You can't charge any business expenses (metro, lunch, etc).
• You get very little health coverage.
• You need to be able to understand the government website to become an auto-entrepreneur which is in French, sign up and report your income to the government.
• And most importantly:  the auto-entrepreneur status was set up to allow for already self-sufficient professionals and students to have an income on the side. It was not designed for people to live off of as their prime income.  So, if you do this, I strongly suggest you juggle other contracts that are CDD, CDII, CDI, or that you have a spouse who has a CDI. 

Again, it's great to have on the side, but terrible as a prime income status.

The ELT PLN Book List!

I've just had a quickie conversation on Twitter with those I follow (99.999% are English language teachers) a.k.a. my PLN (Personal Learning Network).

I was also recently asked: "Can you recommend any good summer reading?" 

I came up with titles such as The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary or Shakespeare on Toast  or The Fight for English.  But then it hit me. All the books I've read in the last 365+ days have been non-fiction books related to language or literature.

Fortunately, I've been saved! In the time it's taken me to type this out, the hashtag #ELTPLNBOOKLIST has taken charge.  It's coiner: @Shaunwilden

Who better to ask for reading recommendations than our fellow teachers? We probably have a high sensitivity for writing styles we can sink our teeth into not to mention excellent filters against airport junk.  

So use the hashtag #ELTPLNBOOKLIST and join in on the discussion!  And happy reading! 

You Think You Can....But Can You?

I never thought I'd say this, but language schools, I feel your pain!

Many teachers come up to me asking if they should become an independent freelancer.  The question isn't "Should you?" but "Can you?" This goes for becoming a travailleur independent AND/OR an Auto-entrepreneur.  Do you have what it takes to strike out on your own?  Sure being your own boss sounds cool, but before you take the leap, I strongly recommend you take a good hard look at what language schools go through - because that's exactly what awaits you once you write that letter to UR$$AF or sign on to be an auto-entrepreneur.

Are you ready for: 

• Finding clients (in France, this means, are you good enough so that your trainees talk about you and recommend you. In France it's all about word of mouth, so put down that phone before you make one very chilly cold call).  
• Comfortable with communicating the price of your services to prospective clients.
• Writing up contracts in French (and understanding their company's jargon if they are the ones drawing up the contract). 
• Maintaining clients (e.g. follow up, assessments; quality control of your own services).
• Monthly billing (and keeping up with it).
• Chasing after payments (are you willing to get tough? If you're subcontracting other teachers, do you have enough in the bank to pay those teachers in the event the client "forgets" to pay your invoices?).
• Keeping track of your earnings and business expenses (a.k.a. keeping track of itty bitty pieces of paper and filing them in chronological order). 
• Understanding the frequent love notes from government agencies such as UR$$AF, CIPAV, RSI et al.
• Setting aside money you earn during the good months for the bad months (in France this means one thing:  July, August and much of September).
• Setting aside money for when UR$$AF and CIPAV and RSI bills appear in your postbox every 4 months or so. 
• Getting to know your accountant and double checking any dirty work he side-dishes to his interns.
• Keeping a close eye on your own sanity and professionalism.

All of these slippery round orbs one must keep in the air are important and necessary.  I've said it before: it's not for everyone. But it's also an adventure and a never-ending learning experience.
 

When Does One's Work Ethic Become Unethical?

Today is day seven I've spent at home recovering from pneumonia.  Now, I do take some responsibility for being ill.  In a week, Santa will be bringing me some proper snow boots, I'm sure.

But last week, for two days, I taught in two university classrooms with no heat.  Nada.  Zip.  Nie. The radiators were cold to the touch.  What's a teacher to do in this case?

Naturally, I feel most teachers have a very strong work ethic.  We will battle it out, grin and bear it.  But should we consider setting some limits, especially when our health is at stake?  Because two days of bullet biting in an icy classroom has resulted in five days of missed classes and hundreds of euros of lost income.  I ask you, should I have refused to teach under those conditions?  Chances are, I wasn't the only victim that day.  Chances are some of my students also fell ill. 

With the current ELT discussions about what are the bare necessities of a language classroom (e.g. anti-material Dogme arguments, technology, etc), I ask: what are the bare necessities for staying healthy in the language classroom?  In my experience, three things: proper heating, ventilation and availability of fresh water.  Without these things, can we say it's unethical to teach and even learn in that kind of an environment?  In a country that is labeled as having one of the best health care systems in the world, I don't think it's too much to ask.

Flash Memories at the IATEFL Poland Conference, Bydgoszcz

First, I would like to thank those of you who made an honest attempt to kidnap me so that I could stay in Poland. Despite my efforts to remain in that wonderful country, I still had to return to Paris on September 20^th just after the IATEFL Poland Bydgoszcz conference.

It was a spectacular event. All IATEFL Poland conferences are. What I appreciate most is the enthusiasm for veteran speakers (e.g. IATEFL Global President, Herbert Puchta) but also an openness to accept newer speakers who are just beginning to get their “conference sea legs.” Conferences shouldn’t be just talent shows, but environments where anyone can share information in their own style of communication.  That’s what I witnessed this year.  I would like to send a special thank you to those who supported my friend and colleague Vice President of TESOL France, Debbie West.  She hadn’t spoken in front of an audience for 16 years and chose your conference to get back in the habit of public speaking. Un grand merci a vous tous!

Congratulations!

What IATEFL Poland conferences reveal is that its members all have such a passion for their trade as English teachers. They all work so incredibly hard! We are all on a relentless quest for satisfaction in our classes. I often say that I have 150 children – adults included – who I help explore and excavate the English language. I’m sure you all have your “kids” too. And it’s thanks to conferences and associations like IATEFL Poland that help you provide the highest quality of guidance and instruction. Moreover, Anna Rogalewicz-Gałucka has got to be the best conference planner on the planet. And the hard work of the dedicated volunteers leaves me awestruck. As the volunteer president of TESOL France, I can say I receive as much as I give being on the Executive Committee: the friendships, the personal and professional growth, the input, the fine-tuning of communication skills, all of which I put back into my classes. I truly feel all teachers should try being on an association committee at least once.  The rewards are countless.

Quelle histoire d’amour!

The town tour of Bydgoszcz was most interesting and revealed the enchanted history of the city. What a fantastic idea! Who knew that the history of Bydgoszcz is jam-packed with: lovers! And all sorts of love stories both humorous and tragic. Our guide donned a traditional costume and took us back in time to the medieval adventures of the citizens. The tour revealed the shear beauty of the Venice of Poland.

Pecha Kuchas and Tweets

I found dozing in the train back home impossible because the memory flashes kept bubbling up to the surface like voda gazovana. Especially when I thought of the fun we all had during the Pecha Kuchas.  Lindsay Clandfield introduced a fantastic, if not slightly lunatic, lineup (Jamie Keddie, Geoff Tranter and myself).  From crazy teacher inventions to Polish tongue twisters, the standing-room-only event is one I’m sure you will see again at future IATEFL Poland conferences.  A special thank you to Magda Klys, Jarosław Kawałek and Peter Whiley for your help with Chrząszcz (pronounced: Hshon'shch).

And finally IATEFL Poland has been introduced to Twitter! The tweets and tweeting during the conference made it easier to get the juice out of more talks (e.g. I was tweeting during David. A. Hill’s talk while Lindsay Clandfield tweeted during Vicki Hollet’s and all our followers online got to read about the best of both).  And there are now more “tweeps” after this conference. Consider following those who were there: Peter Whiley of IATEFL Poland (@iateflPoland); Jamie Keddie (@cheimi10); Vicki Hollett (@vickihollet) Paul Maglione (@paulmaglione); Lindsay Clandfield (@lclandfield); Veronika Salandyk (@weronika_sal) Marta Mrozik (@martulmj); Klaudia Skutela (@kskutela); Ron Mukerji (@Englodysiac) and me: @bethcagnol

Welcome Home

Did you know that Poland looks just like my native Virginia, USA? I feel at home in Poland with the added linguistic gymnastics Polish has to offer. My experience hearing Polish is a bit like listening to a recorded message backwards. From time to time, a word or phrase that’s slightly comprehensible jumps out at me. The language is so musical and seems to dance off the lips. It’s a language I can enjoy not understanding. It’s a language one must smile to speak. The covered vowels, the kissed consonants pull me onto the dance floor. Envious, I can only stand there and watch.

But dance I did this time.  I learned so much. I can only sink into an infatuated state when two people start a rapid-fire conversation in Polish next to me, or when a TLK train rolls into the station or when I listen to a Chopin nocturne.  Poland, you are my muse.