TEF/TCF CLB 7+ | French Speaking | DELF/DALF | working with La Forêt/Fevelang | French professor | 5+ years of experience 

Find out more about Afrah

• Tell us more about your subject. How did you develop an interest in this field?

  I am a French teacher and I graduated in French Language from Aligarh Muslim University. I have always been interested in languages. In fact, when I was in 10th grade, I started learning Spanish on my own simply because I was curious about languages and wanted to explore something new.
  
  Interestingly, my academic journey did not begin with the intention of becoming a language teacher. I studied Science in Classes 11 and 12 because I wanted to become a doctor. I had actually wanted to become a teacher since childhood, but while growing up, I often heard people say that teaching was not an ambitious or successful enough career. Like many young people, I eventually started prioritising what society considered to be a more prestigious career.
  
  After completing school and appearing for the medical entrance examination, however, I realised that medicine was simply not what I was made for. I was naturally drawn towards languages, creativity, communication and explaining things in a structured way.
  
  After Class 12, I decided to pursue French. I had heard a few French words before and liked the way the language sounded, so I chose it almost out of curiosity. But when I actually started learning French, I realised that this was where I belonged. I genuinely enjoyed the process and discovered not only how fascinating French was, but also how to learn a completely new language as an adult.
  
  That experience has shaped the way I teach today. I often share my own experiences, tips and strategies with my students because I know what it feels like to start learning a language from scratch.

• What or who is the motivation behind you choosing to teach & why?

  One of the biggest inspirations behind my decision to teach is a teacher I had when I was very young.
  
  She was my neighbour and, when I was around three years old and had not even started school, she used to come to my house to play with me. She gradually started teaching me as well, and my parents were so impressed by the way she taught and how patiently she worked with me that they asked her to become my tutor.
  
  She continued teaching me until I was in Class 5. She gave me a very strong foundation in languages, science and other subjects. After she moved to Dubai, I kept looking for a teacher like her, and eventually I realised how special she had been.
  
  She showed me what a good teacher can do for a child. She didn’t just teach me subjects; she made learning feel natural and enjoyable. I think a part of me has always wanted to give my students the same feeling.
  
  Teaching was also something I naturally did even as a child. When I was around Classes 7 or 8, I would teach English to the household helpers around me. I genuinely enjoyed sitting with them, explaining things and seeing them understand something they hadn’t understood before.
  
  So, in many ways, teaching has always been a part of who I am.

• How does your work help society?

  I mainly teach French to students who are learning the language for their studies, careers, personal development and, particularly, for Canadian immigration.
  
  Many of my students are in Canada and are preparing for the TEF or TCF because a good French score can help improve their CRS score and bring them closer to their Canadian PR goals.
  
  For me, teaching them is therefore about much more than helping someone pass an examination or learn a new language. For many of my students, French is connected to a much bigger dream.
  
  I genuinely admire the effort my students put into learning. Many of them are working full-time, managing families, household responsibilities and many other things, while still finding time to learn a completely new language.
  
  When I see a student work hard, improve their French and eventually achieve their goal, it feels incredibly rewarding. When a student succeeds, it almost feels like my own dream has been fulfilled too. I sometimes feel the same happiness and pride that I imagine a parent would feel when seeing their child succeed.

• If you had to think of a role model for your work, who do you think of and why?

  My biggest role model in teaching is still my childhood tutor.
  
  She taught me from the very basics and never made me feel that something was too simple to ask or learn. She was patient, thorough and always focused on building strong foundations.
  
  I try to bring the same philosophy into my own teaching. When someone learns a new language as an adult, they are, in many ways, like a child again. They have to start with the basics, learn new sounds, vocabulary and structures, and gradually learn how to express themselves.
  
  Her teaching taught me that a good teacher doesn’t simply give information. A good teacher understands where the learner is starting from and helps them build confidence step by step.
  
  She now teaches in Dubai and has become a well-known teacher, particularly among primary school students. I am very happy that the teacher who influenced me so much continues to inspire children today.

• Tell us about your hobbies outside teaching.

  Outside teaching, I love art. I have been painting and drawing since childhood, and I have always been the kind of person who starts scribbling whenever I have a notebook and a pen in front of me.
  
  I enjoy many different forms of art, including painting, sketching, realistic pencil drawings, watercolours, oil painting, sand art, crafts and origami. I don’t really limit myself to one particular style; I simply enjoy creating things.
  
  I also love writing, and this interest has actually found its way into my French teaching as well. I sometimes write my own stories in French and use them as additional material for my students.
  
  I think creativity and language learning go together very naturally, and I enjoy bringing both into my teaching.

• Do you have an anecdote to tell us about your student or professional life?

  One of my favourite parts of teaching is watching a student slowly transform from someone who is afraid or uninterested in French into someone who can actually hold a conversation and feel confident in the language.
  
  I remember one student in particular who was an adult, around 25 or 26 years old. He was capable of learning French, but he would get bored easily and often struggled with consistency and motivation. Learning a language is a long process, and I have seen many students lose motivation somewhere in the middle of their journey.
  
  With him, I realised that simply teaching grammar and vocabulary wasn’t enough. I started motivating him as well. I would remind him why he had started learning French, encourage him to study, and sometimes even call him and remind him to stay consistent — almost like reminding a child, even though he was a grown adult!
  
  I also showed him that learning a language doesn’t have to mean sitting with a textbook and getting bored. We explored different ways of making French part of everyday life: watching interesting series with French subtitles, listening to French, watching films, reading simple stories and using different kinds of learning material.
  
  I strongly believe that grammar and structure are important, but they should not be the only part of language learning. We can learn naturally too, in the same way children gradually acquire their native language — by listening, watching, reading, repeating and interacting with the language regularly.
  
  I also create stories of my own in French and share them with my students so that they can learn through something more engaging and personal.
  
  When that particular student finally received his exam result and achieved what he had been working towards, it was genuinely overwhelming for me. I felt incredibly proud because I knew how much effort it had taken for him to stay consistent.
  
  That experience reinforced something I strongly believe: a teacher’s job is not only to teach a language. Sometimes, it is also to remind a student why they started, help them find their motivation again, and show them that learning can actually be enjoyable.