French teaching workshop at the Burgos University

French Embassy and Burgos University invited me to share my experiences as teacher and author-illustrator with teachers of French FLE.

We studied how to motivate students to speak French, to study Literature having fun, and to deal with a difficult class.

They spoke about it in the Diario de Burgos :

*French Lesson at UBU. Michel Wattremez, Cooperation for French Officer at French Embassy, and Nieves Goicoechea, Lecturer at "Humanidades y Educacion" Burgos University organised a French Lesson, hosted by the expert and illustrator Emily Nudd-Mitchell, to which 60 Castilla y León teachers attended.

Wonderful experience : energising exchange with teachers who applauded me ! A mutual work to go on teaching French. Our language opens many doors all around the world.

Indeed, to go to Burgos' University, you just have to follow the Camino, the Santiago de Compostela way.

So symbolic !

Early in the morning, you cross with Lecturers, students and pilgrims ! I think of Alix de Saint André who surely walked here : I feel she's there. I meet two pilgrims, they already look tired and it's not even 9 am !

Burgos University is part of a beautiful place : King's hospital.

I can feel Leonor and Alfonso's ghosts blowing around...

They are buried in a Monastery, so well named after this French queen Leonor : "Las Huelgas", Strikes. It did not stop Napoleon's troops to plunder her grave.

How funny for a French to walk through Burgos asking : "Where is the strike ?"

And I even had time to draw in the Cathedral. Do you think it has a Mudejar structure ? Do you think it's the 8 branches star up there, of 8 Islam pillars ? Spain has been early an integration role-model.