The Kate Languages Blog

Teaching is an incredibly stressful job, and burnout is far too common. I know this as I burnt out myself in 2016, and left the classroom for good in 2017. I have spent many years working on being aware of when I might be starting to feel burnt out again, and have tried and tested a number of differ...

This super short blog post is a summary of three great ways of introducing creativity into the classroom.

These were inspired by a previous conversation I had with Crista Hazell on the The Kate Languages podcast. You can find the full episode here - Creativity in MFL with Crista Hazell

1. Drama -...

In this blog post, I want to share three great questions you can ask your students to check for understanding.

I don’t know about you, but I used to think I could check for understanding by asking “any questions?” or (and I hate to admit this, but no one is perfect!) I would even just explain a tas...

Here are three really easy ways of incorporating culture into your everyday teaching...

1. Teach vocab that is relevant to the target language (TL) countries - not just Spain, France and Germany! 

You could teach South American animals in Spanish, typical food and drink from the TL countries, spor...

This blog post is inspired by a great conversation I had with Claire Wilson for the Kate Languages Podcast, all about taking a school trip abroad. 

Here are Claire's top 5 things to think about before you take a school trip abroad...

1. Risk assessments

Check/adapt existing risk assessments - you...

Here are my top tips for teaching phonics in French, German and Spanish:

1. Have a phonics focus every fortnight

When I advise people on how to adapt their curriculum for the new GCSE (first exams 2026), the one thing I always mention is having an explicit phonics focus every couple of weeks. I ca...

CW: This blog post contains discussion of stress and thoughts of self-harm.

Here are my 5 red flags that tell you it's time for a change. If you answer "yes" to one or more of these questions, maybe it's time to send that resignation letter?! 

1. Are you feeling physically ill?

If you are constan...

Here are my top 5 tips for maintaining/improving your language skills as an MFL teacher...

1. Join a language class!

When I know I need to work on anything (not just my language skills) and sign up to a class or paid course, I make sure I am there and taking part every week! Yes, you can use apps ...

Episode 4 of Season 9 of the Kate Languages Podcast was my "businessy" episode of the season - something I include in most seasons to support those of you who are leaving teaching, setting up side hustles, or building tuition businesses. After nearly eight years of running my own education business,...

In episode 3 of season 9 of the Kate Languages Podcast, I talked about what I do to ensure my own lifelong learning. Here is a summary of the episode - to listen to the whole thing, click "play" above.

Why Lifelong Learning Matters

I recently heard a brilliant quote from podcaster Jasmine Star tha...

In the first episode of Season 9 of the Kate Languages Podcast, I answered some more great questions from my audience. Here is a summary of the episode - to listen to the whole episode, click "play" above.

Have you ever done an episode talking to people who have successfully left the classroom?

Ye...

In the final episode of Season 8, I answered lots of great questions from my fabulous Instagram community.

Here is a summary of the episode - to listen to the whole thing, click "play" above.

What is the best part of MFL teaching? What inspires you about languages? Where do you see MFL teaching in...