Do you understand "oui"?
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salve Reader! Did you know that more than half of the Latin students who come to me for support do not know how to say "yes" in Latin? You may think it is outrageous, but it is actually rather normal for students who are just about to sit their GCSEs. Imagine spending four years learning French and not knowing how to say "yes". You would rightly think that you are not really learning a language, but just some disconnected grammar and vocabulary. That is why I choose not to teach for the exam. Do not get me wrong, I do not ignore the exam, but teaching with the exam in mind is not the same as teaching for the exam. What does that look like? At KS3, it is all about being loud and manipulating the language. Free writing is a great tool. At A Level, I add extensive reading to the list. This is the backbone of my A-Level Mastery Hub, where all students are given the tools to become independent readers and users of the language. I am currently welcoming students by invitation to the A-Level Mastery Hub, and also meeting parents interested in having lessons with me next year (NB: I am currently fully booked for this exam season). If you would like to see how I could help, you can book a meeting below: 
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salve Reader! Who does not love spring? I guess whoever decided it was a good idea to place all final exams at this point in the year. The bees are buzzing, the plants are flowering, but our teenagers are going through knowledge organisers and sitting indoors revising for high-stakes exams. I do not have much time for a newsletter this week, but you can see below what I have been up to this month. However, I thought it would be a good idea to send a little reminder that breaks, walks, treats...
salve Reader, Did you know that my homeland's patron saint, Sant Jordi, is shared with England? I quite like the idea, although that does not stop me from missing the Catalan celebrations on the 23rd of April. You can read more about it in my book about the legend, but suffice it to say that we celebrate it by filling the streets with books and authors, and gifting each other roses. It is the perfect language lover's day! You may be wondering at this point what this has to do with Latin...
salve Reader! [For those wondering where my holiday photos are, just scroll to the bottom, where I have shared some. For everyone else:] A student has asked me today why Latin does not have an oral exam. Too right! Just what I had been thinking about in the last couple of days. It is not that I do not know why Latin does not have an oral exam... but if you are not weighed down by the burden of "traditionalists", it does not really make much sense, which is why younger students often ask. The...