My name is Bryan Robert, and I am a Dutch native. I was born in Zevenaar, and I have lived in Utrecht for the majority of my life. In the 34 years that I have wandered around on the earth’s surface, I have had the opportunity to live, study, and work in multiple countries and regions in the world. These experiences taught me the importance of languages, which I why I learned to understand more than my native Dutch. However, it also made me appreciate and understand my own language better. I like that, and I want to share that appreciation and understanding.
I am not a linguïst, but I am also not a layman. First, I am an educator. I received my Bachelor of Education from the University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool Utrecht) in the Netherlands, and I received my Master of Education from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. During both programs, I worked in education as a substitute elementary school teacher and a private language tutor. Luckily, I was able to land a full-time job as an elementary school teacher after graduating. Because of these opportunities, I have over eight years of teaching experience to this day.
Second, but not least important, I am a language enthusiast. I like languages because there are a part of the social and cultural composition of communities. They reflect how people think and interact with each other; therefore, it provides the opportunity to better understand the people.
Working with people is not always easy, and I think I have developed ways in which working with people is beneficial to them. From my experience as an elementary school teacher, I have learned to approach different students in different ways because nobody is the same. Nonetheless, the basics of my teaching come down to the following:
I ask a lot of questions and come with constructive feedback and examples. I motivate my students to clarify why they have made certain decisions or share with me why they think their answer is correct. When working with more insecure students – or less secure students – I tell them the right answer, regardless of their answer, and ask them to tell me why I am right. I will do this until they feel comfortable enough that they can take an educated risk.
Especially when learning a language, building confidence is essential. That is why my feedback is constructive, and I offer plenty of examples or alternatives to improve my students’ work. I understand that people need to be confident with a language passively (reading and listening) before having the mental ability to grow confident with a language actively (writing and speaking). I know this for a fact and I experience this every day because I am learning languages as well. Feel free to check my day-streak on my Duolingo profile.