I like many in the UK had to choose our subject options in our third of high school ( 11-16). I loved the sciences, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, I also knew at the time that I could get a bit overloaded so I chose French as an option to break up the routine. On the first day of my return to school my first class was French. I entered the class and straight away the teacher dismissed me as being inept to learn a foreign language.

I thought no more about it until a few years later at University I met a French girl, we became an item and after a few years we married. We were married in France and at that time my level of French was below basic, enough to say "Oui" to the priest. Well 5 years later on I'm working for a large international company where the conversation is in French, most of my correspondance is in English with Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian just to break up the monotony.

Did my schooling help me later, maybe yes maybe no, but thanks to learning another language has opened many doors. In professional terms dealing with foreign colleagues, I can always find one language as a common denominator to aid both communication and understanding.

I really wish I could go back to meet up with that French teacher, I know phrases now that would never be taught in Class <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

On Education, one quote from a former university professor whom I deeply respected and admired "Your degree only shows that you have the capacity to think". Some people can do an arts degree and think they can only do art, I did manufacturing, but since I've been a programmer, mechanical, I&E instrument, an electrical engineer and now an international sales engineer. Thanks to my education and the fact that this prof at least believed we are capable of doing anything we put our minds to.