To ensure the best possible learning experience all of our professors are experienced and highly qualified native English speakers, most of whom have taught with the CCB for many years.
Meet our adult Conversation class leaders ‘‘Marsha‘, ‘Paula‘, ‘Ben‘ and ‘Rebecca‘ the leader of our Story Time groups.
Marsha
Marsha has worked at various jobs in the United States and France.
These have included a year as a language assistant in Belfort, a year teaching English in Poland, and 4 years teaching French as a Foreign Language to immigrants in Paris. Marsha started teaching English as a second language in Lille 6 years ago.
She mostly teaches at the university level, as well as Business English to professionals.
She enjoys learning from her students as they learn from her. During her conversation classes at the CCB she strives to make everyone comfortable expressing themselves in English, no matter their level, and to make learning fun.
Marsha leads our Upper Intermediate (B2+) and Intermediate (B1+) level English Conversation Classes on Monday
Paula
Paula is a qualified Teacher of English as a second language gaining her Cambridge TEFL certificate from Frances King school of language teaching in London in 2000.
She has been teaching English to adults in France for over 20 years. Her strength is her ability to encourage students to get over their fear and to speak.
Her conversation classes are varied and lively and adapted to the students’ abilities and interests.
Paula graduated in 1996 with a degree in Studio ceramics from Falmouth College of Art and has recently finished a 3-year master’s course.
She has exhibited and sold her artwork and has recently begun to offer masterclasses in art history at the CCB.
Paula leads Advanced (C1), Upper Intermediate (B2+) and Intermediate (B1+) level English Conversation classes on Wednesdays and Fridays
Ben
Ben is originally from the south of England and has lived in France since 2010. He is a CELTA qualified teacher (CELTA is the world’s most widely recognised initial qualification for teaching English) and has been teaching English for around 15 years.
Ben has been teaching with the CCB for over 7 years. He also teaches English for adults at other associations and in businesses. He also teaches computer skills due to his background and experience in data analysis.
Ben always tries to make his students talk as much as possible, and hopes that he provides classes that are useful, interesting, and enjoyable.
In his spare time Ben is an avid DIY (Do-It-Yourself) enthusiast and gardener. However, his favourite hobby, when time allows, is making his own knives in his home forge!
Ben leads Pre Intermediate (B2+) and Elementary (A1+) English Conversation classes on Friday
Rebecca
Rebecca is from New York and began learning French when she was 5.
Madame Kodjak, her first French teacher, instilled in her the fun of learning a language and the joys of eating in a foreign language, a principle that she brings into her classroom.
She holds a masters in foreign language education and is the author of a children’s cookbook “Let’s Cook with the Zazoo”.
As a book enthusiast Rebecca has been exciting children about books as a volunteer in the Lille public library and in various schools for over a dozen years.
She works with European funding and teaches at Lille University.
Rebecca has been living in Lille for over 20 years, has two bilingual teenagers and two bilingual cats.
Rebecca leads two Story Time groups on Wednesday afternoons