Mr J-F Marchand

Teacher

Can you please tell us how your interest in your subject area has translated into the world outside of school?

I live in Scotland and I have been doing so for over 25 years now. You never stop learning either about the culture or the language when you live abroad. It is both challenging and stimulating. I have also travelled around Europe over that time and tried to pick up some of the language wherever I went. You will find that those people who study Languages will have travelled a lot over the course of their studies and tend to be very broad-minded people, which is a quality.

 

Can you summarise what is it about your subject that you love?

I learned English and Spanish when I was growing up and studying in France. I loved English in particular because I grew up listening to Anglo-Saxon music and watching a lot of American movies. I also lived in the south of France near the Spanish border so again I took an interest in the language very quickly. This exposure to the British, American and Spanish cultures made me pursue an interest and a career in those subjects. Learning a language is about communicating and taking an interest in the person talking to you. I was chuffed that I was able to do it from school age.