The class that changed everything
The Class That Changed Everything
In 2006, I taught at a language school in Reading, England. My boss was quite a character. When I arrived for my job interview with certificates and prepared answers, he spoke about himself for the entire hour, then simply offered me the job!
He was proud of his business skills but tight with money. One Christmas, he surprised us with a staff meal at the Thai restaurant downstairs. Our surprise turned to shock when we discovered he'd taken the cost from our January wages – including his own meal!
That summer, I taught morning classes focused on Cambridge exams. With no afternoon classes scheduled, my boss made an interesting offer: if I could design lessons and find students for afternoon classes, I could use the classroom for a small percentage of the fees.
Game On!
I created afternoon conversation classes completely different from the structured morning sessions. If nobody came, I'd only waste my time.
The first class started small, but each day more students joined. They brought friends and colleagues. My only advertising was word of mouth – people heard the classes were fun and effective. I loved hearing why people from across the world ended up in our ordinary English town. Everyone had a unique story.
Every afternoon, I tried new conversation activities. We laughed, shared experiences, and became a summer family.
The class included both beginners and advanced students working together. I noticed something fascinating: some beginners communicated better than advanced students who froze while trying to speak perfectly. Relaxed students found words more easily than stressed ones. In our conversation classes, students learned far more than in their exam-focused morning sessions.
I still keep in touch with students from those classes nearly 20 years later. Everyone talked about how those summer afternoons transformed their English communication skills. My boss was shocked by how many students attended – and regretted asking for such a small percentage of the fees!
This experience shaped my teaching philosophy and the Jo-Lingo retreats you see today. Sometimes the best learning happens when we focus on connection rather than perfection.