Emmanuel Nado
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
Nelson Mandela
“A different language is a different vision of life”
Frederico Fellini
I am originally from Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa. I lived in Lille where I studied photojournalism and broadcast communication.
These quotes mean a lot to me because I am a strong believer in international education and firmly believe in the power of language to change the world and help people find common ground. I have retired now from public school teaching, but my passion for teaching French and broadcast radio remain some of the most fulfilling things I love to do. I believe that people who speak more than one language perform better educationally and the acquired language skills translate into opportunities in the business world and in private life. It is exciting to see French learners of diverse nationality, age, profession and cultural background thriving at the Alliance Française of San Francisco. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or an advanced speaker, French is a beautiful living language and it is a lot of fun. Over the years I have been a member of the teaching team at the Alliance Française of Santa Clara and the San Jose International Language Institute. Beside my work as an educator, I produce and host a world radio program here in San Francisco for KALW radio. In my spare time I like to go for a promenade in various cities of the bay or go for a drive faraway from the cities. The Bay A rea has many awesome places with beautiful landscapes, the air is clean, so much to do and see. I am an avid reader of mystery, science fiction, all that deals with arts and literature.
Have great fun learning!
What our students say:
"Emmanuel does a great job keeping everyone engaged and keeping the class moving along." "I enjoy the class and look forward to it!" - Anne
"Emmanuel is a terrific French teacher; his Saturday classes have been very enjoyable and beneficial toward my learning of French. I have taken his Saturday morning advanced class for five years now, and I appreciate his positive and encouraging spirit, the way he gives everyone in the class ample opportunity to speak and present, and the content of his lessons, Besides having the chance to improve my French by conversing with classmates and by giving or listening to oral presentations, I have appreciated the exposure to French culture, society, history, and current events that I received in his classes. Recently I spent the summer in Paris and enrolled in a four-week intensive level C1 class at the Alliance Française de Paris, and Emmanuel’s teaching made me well prepared for that class. By the end of that class, Parisians I would meet would often compliment me not just on my use of French, but my accent as well! I highly endorse Emmanuel for anyone who would like an enjoyable experience improving French with a collegial group of fellow students." - (Advanced class student)
"I have been taking Emmanuel's class for several months and I absolutely love it. The class I am taking is a B2 level grammar-conversation-vocabulary class. Emmanuel makes the class so fun by always choosing engaging content, ranging from literature, culture, history, art, technology advancement to recent news and politics. Personally I felt my vocabularies have been increasing very quickly in various domains. I am now way more confident in building longer sentences with multiple tenses to express complex ideas. We also have very balanced content that aims to improve reading, listening, speaking and writing simultaneously. In addition to my French level, I also feel that the class really broaden my horizon as an adult. My classmates and of course Emmanuel as well, are super knowledgeable on a wide range of topics. I start to read more news and listen to more songs to keep myself up for the discussions. Emmanuel's class is something I look forward to every week and it is definitely a wonderful way to start my weekend!" - Anqi
"I enjoyed our class with Emmanuel very much. He's a patient and engaging teacher, and encourages good conversation." - John
"Emmanuel has a wonderful style and temperament. It is a joy to learn French from him. I like the combination of tasks in the class - the short stories, the vocabulary, quoi de neuf and discussion. I feel lucky to have landed in his class." - J.S.
"I like to take the class online. I wasn’t sure if it was going to work, but for me it does. I am coming from East Bay and not driving is a plus for me. The class quality is the same. The students participate in class and the teacher is really good." - An anonymous student
"Emmanuel is great keeping the class and conversation moving, and coming up with different ways to be part of the class. It’s been so great to learn something new, in a group, in the supportive environment Emmanuel creates, and all during a global pandemic!." - Anne
"Emmanuel does a great job connecting with the class, staying flexible and keeping things interesting.." - Anne
"Emmanuel has led his class with professionalism and ability, taking into account the abilities and time constraints of each student. He is always prepared for the class and provides relevant material." Judy
"Dear Emmanuel, 1000 thanks for all your teachings during the last 5 years". Anonymous
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