The TPRS Witch

What is a witch? It is what some people call an old woman that they don’t agree with, an old woman who speaks her mind and could care less what others call her. Witchcraft is what the old woman does with her time, her passion, her skill and her wisdom.

I’m Judith Logsdon-Dubois. My father, an officer in the U.S. Navy, brought me presents from Japan, France, Brazil, wherever he had been. I dreamed of travelling around the world seeing the places he told us about. In college I majored in French and also studied German, Spanish, Greek and Latin. I joined the Peace Corps to teach English in Cameroon, married a Frenchman there and stayed.

I moved with my family to France in 1984 and began teaching English in afternoon and evening classes for adults. I acquired a DEA in English literature and taught translation for an antenna of the University of Bordeaux until 2005. In 1995 I passed the CAPES and the aggrégation in 1997. I taught at Lycée de Baudre in Agen until 2012. I have translated two books from French to English for the publisher One World and I wrote a biography of a Baha’i pioneer which was published in England in 2013. I have also had short stories published in American magazines.

I first heard of TPRS in 2005 and, like Stephen Krashen, I’m convinced it’s the most effective method to teach languages in use today. I organized the first TPRS workshop in France which was held in Agen in August, 2013. Participants came from seven different countries. We just finished the sixth workshop with 81 paticipants from 25 different countries. And I’ve started planning for the seventh which will start on July 22nd, 2019.

Am I a witch? If that’s what you call a woman who speaks her mind, yes. And Comprehensible Input is my witchcraft.

There are 9 comments

Glenda Johnson April 10, 2015 at 18:20

So glad you had your first TPRS Workshop in Agen and I attended. After TEFL and CELTA I am enjoying gaining proficiency with TPRS.

Heleen Jansen December 18, 2015 at 14:49

Hi Judith,

Can you put my name on the liste as a participant as a reserve? I rel want to follow this course but I’m not sure if I can do it because my husband is ill. I’m living in Saint-Puy and that is about 50 kilometers from Agen. So please be so kind to put my name on the list.

Heleen Jansen
Rue Beau Soleil
32310 Saint-Puy
France

vice president of AEDE-nl
http://www.aede.nl

Judith Dubois February 7, 2016 at 19:19

Heleen, you are on the list. Looking forward to meeting you soon.

French the natural way: discover Agen - Alice Ayel August 28, 2017 at 08:58

[…] workshop is organized by Judith Dubois, who has taught English in a lycée, high school in France for many years. She is a published […]

French the natural way: un rendez-vous à Agen - Alice Ayel March 29, 2019 at 11:28

[…] Judith Dubois who teaches English in Agen, France answered this good question on Quora: “Apart from speaking and reading books, how do I improve my speaking and writing skills in English? Is there a website available where someone could correct me? How long would it take to master these skills?“. […]