Hello, wonderful people!
The 2024/2025 school year has made its start and we are all surely happy to be back in the classroom. This is a year of many starting a language from scratch, or facing the new challenges that KS3, 4, or 5 bring their way – both students and teachers may sympathise with the latter!
To begin on some strong footing, we have here with us a wonderful guest – Mr William Law, Head of Modern Languages at Tonbridge School. We had a wonderful conversation with him about overcoming the difficulty of speaking in the target language, working in Switzerland and the beauty of languages that neither the arts nor mathematics fully match. As always, there are accompanying reading comprehension activities which can be found attached down below or in estudiamos.co.uk.
For now, enjoy the interview! It is also available in Spanish here.
Mr William Law is a teacher of modern languages. After graduating from Oxford University with distinction for the quality of his spoken Spanish and French, he served as Assistant Head of House and teacher at Aiglon College (2016-2018). From there he moved to Tonbridge School as Head of French, where he remains to this day. Since then, he has added the positions of Head of Modern Languages and Head of House. Throughout his career he has also worked as a language coordinator for the Independent Schools Examinations Board, a DELF examiner and a governor at Malvern College. He welcomes us in a relatively cold October day to talk about his career and linguistic advice.
When did your love of languages begin?
When I was a kid, we would spend summer vacations abroad as a family, first in France, and then also in Italy, Croatia and Spain. I loved the sights, the smells, the tastes of these new and interesting places, and, well... I wanted to be a part of it! It helped that I wasn't too embarrassed to jump into conversation with people. In school, I had a series of amazing language teachers whose patience, sense of humor and inspiration allowed me to thrive. They opened doors to new worlds. The power of education and the influence that teachers can have is extraordinary. It's why I do what I do today.
You received distinction for your speaking ability, could you give some advice for students who find speaking the most difficult part in their learning?
It is often the most difficult or intimidating skill for students, isn't it? And yet, the ability to speak, to make ourselves understood, and to have a real conversation answers the real purpose of what we are trying to do, both as linguists and as people. I think you just have to try, you don't have to be afraid. I remember someone once said to me, “How many times have you laughed in the face of someone who has spoken your native language, even with an accent, even if they make some mistakes?” Never, of course! And there's no reason why it should be any different the other way around. It helps, of course, that I've had some really positive experiences. When I lived near Barcelona during my Erasmus year, I used Spanish a lot, but I also learned quite a lot of Catalan, and I was never more popular than in those bars or discos, when people were surprised, and then thanked me enormously, that I tried to communicate with them on their terms, in their language. Although I use my languages on a daily basis, I still get very excited to do so.
After finishing your studies you went to Switzerland, what attracted you to the country and how did it differ from the English education system?
I spent the last months of my Erasmus year teaching at the school in Switzerland where I later returned to work. It is an extremely beautiful country: clean, tidy and very civilized, and I love both cheese and chocolate! The school where I worked is based on the British system, but the students follow the International Baccalaureate program. I am an alumnus of the same program. One of its many advantages is that you have to study a language until you are 18. And it was an incredible experience: an Englishman in Switzerland teaching French and Spanish to people from China, India, the United Arab Emirates, the United States? And even from French and Spanish speaking countries!
Twice in your career you have held positions in boarding houses. What do you find this experience brings to you?
To be honest with you, it's one of my favorite parts of my (very varied!) job. I've been very lucky, both at Aiglon and Tonbridge, to be able to not only teach, but also to care for and live amongst some amazing young people. In a boarding school, if you only look at the academic profiles and progress of the students, you're missing the point. We are here to make them better linguists, better scientists, better historians, better musicians... but most importantly, good people. To be able to influence, however subtly or implicitly, that journey is a pleasure and a privilege.
It's amazing how many responsibilities you have at the same time: teacher, governor, examiner, etc. How do you manage to do it all?
By getting up early and going to bed late. No, I'm just kidding - well, half kidding! For me, a good day is a day full of activity. I am fascinated by the world of education in all its forms, and I am very lucky to be involved in so many things.
Finally, every school year has its own challenges, but particularly for students starting to study languages at KS4 or considering doing so. In short, what would you recommend to them to improve their level?
Well, you have to work hard, don't hesitate! I think it's really important to try to immerse yourself in the language and its culture: watch films (even if there's a lot you don't understand), or read simple news stories online, ideally about stories that interest or are familiar to you.
More philosophically, and reflecting on my own experience, the times when I have found it hardest to motivate myself have been when I have not been able to easily make sense of something. Languages are a fascinating subject, and also very varied: mathematical in their logic and rigor, creative in their expression. But it's a long-term game, and you have to keep reminding yourself why you're doing it. It is so that the vast world - its literature, its art, its music, its culture, its history - becomes a little less alien, a little more familiar. I always tell my students - and it's true - that I've never met anyone who wishes they didn't speak more languages. Speaking other languages will serve you all your life.
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