At the end of August this year I moved from London to a small town in Quebec, Canada, called Matane to work as an English teacher. Patience is a word that has appeared in many forms over the past two months.
I don't see myself as being the most patient person in the world, but I was deeply impressed by my experience in the first week of teaching. I had just finished a discussion with two students and just as they were leaving the classroom, one of them turned back and said "Thank you for your patience." That was an early reminder of the importance being patient as a teacher. Moreover, patience in the classroom can be the difference between building students' confidence in a language and breaking down their confidence entirely. Being patient as a teacher meansempathizing withstudents. It is not easy to learn a new language and allowing students to find their way will benefit them in the long term.
Living my life in French is not easy but the people of Quebec are very patient. Quebecers repeat things several times and they are more than happy to wait while I find the correct words to express myself. It's a learning process, but with the patience of others the process is less frightening.
When I first arrived in Matane, I kept getting headaches from having to concentrate all the time due to the language. I had to keep reminding myself that it would take time, and two months later the headaches are a distant memory and my ears have become more used to the Quebecois accent. The key is to be patient with yourself. There is no short cut to learning a language, but it will be worth it in the end.
