About Me

Well, how much do you really need to know?!!  I’ll tell you in class anyway so you know who you are dealing with!

Try this for starters:

• Born in Manchester .. and support the best of the two teams there! [The one that has actually won the Champions’ League a couple of times!!]
• Lived in the South of England until I moved full time to Alsace some thirteen years ago
• On Jan 3rd 2018, celebrated 30 years as a University Senior Lecturer – prior career as Research and Development Manager of one of the UK’s most active regional tourist boards.
• Two kids, plus three more in a ‘famille recomposée‘ plus one further who ‘adopted’ me and my wife as parents!
• Did have easy access to a car – until the kids started getting their driving licences…. but this has improved of late as two of the three still at home have bought their own vehicles.
• Have gone more than a bit eco/organic/sustainable – do far less supermarket shopping… won’t by meat treated and under plastic…buy more and more local produce direct from local suppliers on the market.  Present car is a hybrid.  Trying to move more towards vegetarianism … but let’s call that an ‘ongoing struggle’.
• Writer / composer in the soul: poetry and music…  Frustrated rock guitarist… frustrated because I can’t always get out of my fingers what I hear in my head or feel in my bones! [There are some 200+ of my poems here]
• Dog-lover.  The Red Retriever in the photo is sadly no longer with us as she had a heart malformation from birth, but we currently have two white Golden Retrievers and a pocket-sized Berger Belge…. (you will see them often popping up as images on my News stories)
• I presently teach courses at FLSH, FSESJ and IUT Colmar, mostly in the business management field and applied in a number of contexts, particularly: Tourism;  Museums and Archives; Inter-culturality; Research and Sustainable Development and Management.
• I really enjoy being involved in your learning and development and helping you that step further towards your hopes, dreams and plans.  For me it’s a joint effort: we meet in the middle of the bridge – me from the teaching side and you from the learning.  I can’t learn for you, but if you are interested and motivated, I can help show you how to build from your side of the bridge.
• I tend to believe that there is a lot to be said for ‘learning by doing’ – you tend to understand better from the inside –> out – so expect to be put in situations, realistic work environments and role plays where I can give you guidance, encouragement and feedback but YOU have to make the journey.  My aim is that the journey should be enjoyable!
• I will treat you as young professionals and I expect you to act as such: in class I am looking for a spirit of professionalism in an informal context.  I’ll explain that too, in class!
• I won’t ‘shoot’ if you make mistakes as long as you are putting the effort in and trying your best. As my Dad always said:
  • the man who never made a mistake never made anything! [Just look at how many times James Dyson didn’t get it ‘right’ with his prototypes before he re-invented the hoover (aspirateur)].
  • the crime isn’t making the mistake – it’s not learning from it!

The rest will become evident as we go!  Promise.

Mmmmm…. yes, apart from the fact that until Christmas 2020 and New Year my doctor has insisted that I work from home: ‘télétravail’.    Here’s how it should work:

If for any reason it doesn’t – ASK away!!

Best, and looking forward to seeing you in class!

Tony