When Jacqueline Arkley jumped the channel from France to England to be with her now English husband Peter, never did she think teaching her native language to local children would become a lifetime achievement.
Jacqueline began teaching French to local children in Bingham and Radcliffe on Trent 30 years ago this month.
Originally joining Bingham based children’s language publisher La Jolie Ronde and taking over classes set up by their founder Colette Hallam, who wanted to concentrate on developing the programmes.
Colette said:
”Jacqueline is such a positive and enthusiastic teacher and I feel very privileged to have worked alongside her for many years.
“She was one of the very first teachers to join the company back in 1992 and as she walked through the door, it was her spirit, enthusiasm and passion for all things French that shone through and I just knew she was the one to hand over the reins to.
“That love has translated to her working 30 years and I am exceptionally proud to know that thousands of children have personally benefitted from learning French with Jacqueline”.
Originally from Brittany in Northwest France, Jacqueline has lived in the UK for over 31 years and today continues to teach 16 French classes each week in local primary schools and online, as well as running classes in local community venues.
Her classes are organised by age group and taught through fun and exciting familiar topics using games, songs, stories, roleplays and puppets in a positive and supportive learning environment.
Each of Jacqueline’s pupils receives an accompanying activity book and sound files to allow them to have fun practicing at home whilst giving parents and carers the opportunity to have a go themselves.
“When I arrived in the UK I wanted to do something meaningful using my beloved French and when the opportunity came up with La Jolie Ronde, I jumped at the chance.
“Inspiring children to love languages and more importantly to get excited about learning French, ticked all the boxes. Young children have a wonderful advantage in that they pick up languages with ease. When they are exposed to language in an engaging and interactive way – learning becomes a thoroughly positive experience. My goals are always to ensure pupils are exposed to language in a pressure-free way, therefore it becomes a thoroughly enjoyable adventure, plus by the time my pupils reach secondary school their foundation of language learning is already established providing them with a significant head start”.
Elizabeth in year 5 said: “I love learning with Madame Arkley because she is kind and really good at French”.
“I love learning with Madame Arkley because she always makes it really fun and things always stick in my mind”, Saskia year 5
Parent Karen Powell from Radcliffe on Trent says, “Jacqueline has been teaching French to both my daughters since they were six years old. During that time both my daughters have enjoyed learning a new language, which Jacqueline has brought to life for them. My eldest daughter is now 12 and is in the first year of secondary school. With the grounding in French that she has attained through the lessons with Jacqueline she has been able to achieve consistently high grades through her first year of secondary school in this language”.
This week Jacqueline was presented with an outstanding achievement award by General Manager for La Jolie Ronde Steve Baker. (Photos attached).
“We are immensely proud to recognise the fact that Jacqueline has achieved something no other La Jolie Ronde teacher has ever done – she is our longest-standing teacher in the history of the business. For 30 years, her incredible commitment, dedication and drive have meant thousands of children have benefitted from her love for languages and she has passed that on to them. Jacqueline has a wonderful rapport with her pupils and her lessons contain plenty of variety, making her classes much sought after”, he said
To celebrate her achievement, Jacqueline took her glass trophy and certificate around her classes to share the special moment with her pupils. (Photos attached).
“My students make me so proud every single day, their enthusiasm and growth in confidence make me want to continue teaching and supporting them on their bilingual journey forever!”
