Earlier this week, Ms Hargreaves gave me the opportunity to deliver a presentation about Francophone countries to my French class. Initially, the prospect of speaking to my peers in a foreign language frightened me. However, as I prepared my presentation at home, and rehearsed it in front of my bedroom mirror, the embers of anxiety floating around in my heart became sparks of determination.

Francophone countries have always fascinated me. French is the seventh most spoken language on the planet. Contrary to what many people believe, the French language isn’t just used to flirt in dimly-lit, Parisian restaurants. Today, it is a language that is officially used in 29 countries. You can even hear words from the French language merging with the whir of lapping waves in far-flung regions in the Caribbean.

My presentation glared at me as I sauntered into Ms Hargreaves’ classroom on Tuesday. Flags and pictures were splattered across it. Warmly, she smiled at me, and offered me a seat at the front of the classroom. Over the next several minutes, the rest of the class appeared, and I started my presentation by asking them a series of questions. Their dedication, passion and enthusiasm impressed me greatly.

Over the course of the lesson, I attempted to communicate with the class in French. The first couple of sentences that came out of my mouth were riddled with grammatical errors. However, as I became more comfortable, the fluency of my French improved. Gradually, I guided the class through extracts and videos that I had scoured the internet for the night before. To my relief, they responded well to my lesson, and even asked me some rather intelligent questions.

To my surprise, Mr O’Kelly walked into the classroom while I was delivering my presentation. As he later told me, he was greatly impressed by my fluency. Mr Turner also temporarily visited us. And although his presence made me slightly anxious, it also enabled me to showcase my aptitude for French.

The prospect of communicating in a foreign language can often seem daunting. So many language learners are afraid of making grammatical errors. However, we must remember that our mistakes enable us to improve. Next time you mispronounce or misspell a word in a foreign language, don’t be disheartened: just say ‘c’est la vie’, and move on.

By James Gill