Page 18 of Oops, My Professor Got Me Pregnant!

“Honestly, anytime.”

“Tomorrow? We’re about to begin a new quarter.”

Lauren laughed. “Actually, sure. I can start tomorrow.”

The women smiled at each other. Lauren felt a new kind of excitement about her Parisian adventure. Yes, the start had been a little rocky, with her Nico misadventure, but things were really looking up. Now, she would be busy with her work and her new apartment. She would finally be able to put Nico out of her mind once and for all.

Wouldn’t she?

Lauren’s first class was bright and early the next morning. She met Céline outside the classroom and they walked in together.

“As I said, don’t worry too much about this first class,” Céline said as they climbed the stairs. “I’ll take the lead. I just need you around to help with a few things and to get to know the students. Over time, I’ll let you take over a few classes on your own when you feel ready, but we’ll start slow.”

“Thanks.” Lauren bit her lip. “Did you used to feel nervous before a class?”

“Oh, terribly. But over time, teaching becomes as easy as breathing.”

“How long have you been a teacher?”

“Almost ten years now, ever since I graduated from college. I got a job here and never looked back. It’s always been a good fit for me.”

It must be nice to be so sure about a career. Lauren had enjoyed parts of her work at the bank, but had found it tedious and uninspiring overall. She could hardly imagine loving her job as much as Céline seemed to, but she was excited about teaching. Maybe her feelings about work could change.

“So, who are we teaching in this first class?”

“It’s an introductory English class for new college students. Most of them have studied English before and can speak it fairly well, but for a lot of them, English is something they don’t enjoy. After many years of learning in the sterile classroom environment, they find it hard to see English as something positive. There are always a few students who know English very well, for instance from YouTube or watching English movies, but they also tend to struggle in the classroom because rote study of grammar and vocabulary feels so unrelated to what they learn on their own.”

“That sounds challenging.”

“It is. But it also makes our job fun. We need to bring English to life for these students. We need to show them how fun and applicable it can be. That’s why it’s also nice to have you, a native speaker. But like I said, don’t worry. This first class is just to get your feet under you.”

“Okay.” Lauren took a deep breath and followed Céline into the classroom. There were between fifteen and twenty young adults, most of whom looked to be a traditional college age. Some were already sitting at their desks, notebooks open, while others stood in small clusters to talk. Céline strode confidently to the front of the room and turned to the assembled students.

“Good morning, everyone.”

A few students called good mornings back, but some of them seemed either not to have noticed or not to care that the professor was in the room. Lauren was surprised, but Céline winked at her, then took out her phone. A moment later, the familiar sound of a popular Imagine Dragons song blared out of the phone’s speakers. Surprised, the students turned as one to the front of the room, where Céline grinned at them and bobbed her head to the song.

In that moment, Lauren understood why Céline was such a good teacher. She was young, perhaps early thirties to Lauren’s late twenties, and her playful grin and song opener were clearly catnip to these kids. Before the end of the song, everyone had taken their seats. Céline let the last notes play, then turned off her phone and swept her gaze over the class.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Céline Gaumont, and this is my colleague, Lauren Chapman. Welcome to English Basics.”

There were a few groans from the class, and Céline raised her eyebrows. “You object to ‘Basic English,’ right? I don’t love the title myself. After all, you guys are college students. You can speak English pretty well, can’t you?”

There were a few nods.

“I thought so. But the problem is, I bet a lot of you don’t like English. Right?”

More nods.

“So, in this course, we’re going to take you back to the basics of English, the parts that make it fun and interesting and useful. I bet none of you minded listening to the song in English just now, even if you feel like you don’t speak or understand English well. But every part of English can be as useful and as important as the English you hear in your favorite songs or shows. Lauren, would you kindly help me by passing out the syllabi?”

Lauren took the stack of papers, happy to have something to do, and began handing them out. As she did, she took in the faces of the students. Some smiled at her while others looked bored.

“This semester, we’ll read some great literature — and before you groan again, I mean that it’ll be great, not boring. We’ll work on writing the kinds of pieces you’ll actually need throughout your life, like emails and articles, and we’ll hold debates and presentations in class about topics that are actually interesting. If you don’t believe me, check out the plan for May fourth. If any of you know Star Wars, you’ll be excited.”

Lauren passed out the last few syllabi and returned to stand by Céline.

“Let’s start today with getting one thing out of the way. Very few people speak English perfectly, even native speakers, so don’t feel shy or worried that you might make a mistake. When I was in my early twenties, I once blanked on the word for ‘fork’ while in a restaurant in London and accidentally shouted a swear word. I’m sure you can guess the one. So, just keep trying and don’t feel discouraged if things don’t feel easy all the time.”

---