Au Revoir, Madame Evelyne Harry-Villain!

Madame Harry-Villain was our French teacher this year, and she was really fantastic, one of the best I must really say! Sadly, she had to leave for France after teaching us for half a year and she only just flew off yesterday. She was really inspirational and pivotal to my learning of French, so I dedicate this post to her, and the many fond memories of her time teaching us, even though what can be said in one post can never, ever be enough to thank her...

This year, when I had my first french lesson under her, I must truthfully say that I did not think much of my prospects of doing well in french, and frankly, it even crossed my mind to quit french, nevermind I had selected it as one of my subjects for sec 3 just a couple of months ago, and nevermind it was only my first french lesson of the year.

The reason: being one of the weaker students in the class, I absolutely could not follow what she was saying! It was quite a great change in teaching style between sec 2 and sec 3, since now the teachers speak in french almost all the time. Moreover, she's a true blue french so she spoke much faster, and all that I could do was to grasp at straws, listening out desperately for key words and hope to piece the meaning from those few leads.

Fortunately, she slowed down a little in the subsequent lessons and so I could understand slightly more of what she was saying, though I still needed to rely heavily on what she was writing on the board, and if she was just having a light conversation with us, without teaching materials on screen, I was once again left confused.

However, I tried my best to catch up, putting in more effort to remember what was taught, and also regularly doing homework, and maybe she noticed that, so she began helping me more, like checking if I was doing all right, getting me to answer questions more, and also kindly clarifying my questions and doubts.

Slowly but steadily, my french improved, and soon I was actually rather enjoying the lessons, especially with her interactive lessons which were not in the least way boring, and also thanks to her pleasantness and great sense of humour. She did not scold often, and yet she made us know when we had crossed the line with her chidings, with some humour thrown in. As such, we did not fear her, yet we held great respect for her, and we were generally very well behaved during class.

I even achieved a 87 for my controle and 15/15 for oral! Even though there was certainly a large element of luck in those tests, it is still the first time I have scored above 85, and only the second time I have scored above 80 for a controle, since sec 1 mind.

Apart from just teaching me, she really inspired me with her diligence, the way she was always well-prepared and energetic during our lessons, and also her willingness to help those who are not exceptionally bright. It was really sad that I couldn't be at her sending-off party, again due to NSC, but I guess she would have understood...

So here's a big thank you to you, Madame Harry-Villain (even if there is only the slightest chance that you might read this), for all that you have done for me and especially for lending a helping hand to a poor kid who wasn't especially proficient in French! I promise to continue to work hard in french, and I won't disappoint you especially after all the hard work you have put in for my sake!

Je ne vous oublierai jamais, et je vous souhaite bien!