The Language Fool

Lot of new interest in my teaching so here are some references- Ken Parsons, The Language Fool, References

Introduction

I have 30 years of language teaching experience. Initially I taught English and German. I have lived in Amsterdam more than half my life and am fluent in Dutch and my grasp of the grammar is second to none. I have taught Dutch for about 15 years. I have been working intensively for Learnlight for 5 years and have successfully completed Dutch courses for many students and clients in the corporate sector from all over the world.

The students like my friendly manner and are impressed by my skill and experience as a linguist and teacher and always sign up for extra classes. I teach all levels. I am a qualified linguist and versed in traditional teaching skills but I combine this with innovative, ingenious and effective methods to aid absorption of grammar and vocabulary. I am also a working comedian, songwriter and musician. I also prepare fun materials for beginners and for advanced students I collect contemporary stories, jokes and comedy by local writers to keep the lessons dynamic and people up to date with modern Dutch. I also run my own company, The Language Fool and have taught many clients, one to one or in groups.

My company motto: ‘The best entertainers educate and the best educators entertain’

Main Referee, feel free to contact her: Elena Martin – Head of face-to-face Trainer Management, LearnLight- [email protected]

Ken is a wonderful, patient teacher who has many different ways of explaining the Dutch language. He makes it fun and easier to learn!
Jennifer Nunez, Founder, Marketing Strategist at Growth Empowered Marketing Services

To whom it may concern,
when starting a new job role with Oracle in the Netherlands Ken Parsons was recommended to me as a Dutch language teacher from Egon Wong. (Learnlight). From July 2019 till May 2020 we had 33 lessons of 90 minutes usually face to face in the Oracle office Amsterdam and from March 2020 online due to the corona pandemic situation.
Learning Dutch with Ken was effective and entertaining at the same time. Every lesson was clearly structured into different learning aspects such as writing, speaking, understanding, grammar, conversation, cultural aspects and several more.
Every lesson was tailor made to my actual needs as he was preparing didactic material and homework by himself and choosing the right topics matching my skill level from several different text books. He always was patient and motivational when practicing conversation often using latest news or Dutch peculiarities as a topic.
As an adult learner I felt encouraged to continue with my efforts by soon being able to have more and more communication with my landlady in Dutch instead of English. Ken and I are still in touch from time to time and I can highly recommend him as a language teacher. I wish him all the best in his professional career and private life.
Peter Lissner, Accounts Manager, Oracle

Just a quick message to say thanks for your help earlier in the year.
I received my results back for the A1 exams that I took. (Inburgering). I achieved full marks, 100% result which is brilliant. For sure your help teaching me Dutch contributed to this.

Nagraja Gopidesi, Account Manager, Selectsys India Pvt. Ltd

My colleagues and I loved our small-group Dutch lessons with Ken! His style of language teaching was nothing like any of us were used to from school - filled with humour and extremely effective. By structuring units into 'concepts' we were able to quickly build vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar skills. I would highly recommend anyone wishing to learn Dutch to get in touch with Ken!
Justin Steinhardt, EMEA Director of Operations. Garrett Leight California Optical
It is like having a Dutch lesson with Trevor Noah. Amazing experience

Deepthi Dronavajjala, marketing executive, Amazon.

Thank you, Ken for your contribution in my knowledge of Dutch and English as well!
Elena Aredova, EMEA Brand Manager, AkzoNobel

Ken is a great Dutch teacher. His methods might be a bit unconventional, but that’s exactly why they have greater impact. He tailors the subject matter to the pupil’s specific needs and in my case that meant more day-to-day interaction and cultural acclimation. It was much easier to memorize things from funny anecdotes and silly rhymes than from a textbook. It also helps that he can draw upon the many languages he masters to create parallels and logical connections to languages that are more familiar for the pupil.

Maria Voinea, Full-stack Software Engineer, ING

Having a Dutch lesson with Ken is more like having an informal conversation about language than a didactic learning process, though his grasp of grammar issues is excellent.
That makes the topic, not exactly the easiest one, lighter and even pleasurable.
If you want to try an original approach to learning a language without being bored
and get to know the "behind the scenes" nature of Dutch culture and society,
Ken Parsons is definitely the right teacher

Marta Merlin, Masseuse at Free Your Body Massage.com

If you need a great language teacher or coach I can personally recommend Ken Parsons a very good teacher. I took Dutch classes with Ken and it really helped me to understand Dutch grammar a bit better. Dutch, could you be any more complex? Am I right?

Socrates Kimon Inglessis, Aeronautical Mechanic, Writer

Ken was always punctual and well prepared. His patience and good nature were highly valued. He was perceptive of the young children's needs, wishes and borders, which along with the great music made him very popular at MEMO.

Max Brenman. CEO - MEMO- Memorable Moments ( Music in schools)

‘Can I be on the guest list please.’

I run a lot of shows. I appreciate a diverse crowd. Always have done. Some people in the messed up world we live in don’t have the resources to enjoy live performances. ‘Bread and Circuses’, well these days the people who make the bread often don’t even have the ‘bread’ to enjoy the circuses.

So, if people on a low income, underpaid workers, students, single family parents or PROPER anarchists ask for a freebie then fine as long as they act respectfully at a show. I say proper anarchists: well: those who try and live off the grid and outside the constraints of brutal capitalism – this applies to your European ‘leftwing’ squatters and equally to American ‘right wing’ libertarians . Both groups have grasped the essential brutal truths of the rat race.

This is the wisdom the Walden embraced and this was how I lived in Berlin for many years: we worked, we were busy, we were active not lazy bums. We would organize squat kitchens. You cooked one day a week for the collective and meals were then free for the rest of the week. We had to purchase ingredients from the float of money but this way everyone ensured that everyone got a square meal everyday- outside the parameters of modern profit based food industry.
When however I meet someone who sits in my local bar and is forever boasting about their pay rise – a pay rise which would keep a single parent family in housing and food for a year- and they say ‘wow a comedy night, can you put me on the guest list’, well, then I get rather annoyed.

To these people I wonder: do you go to the baker and say ‘I’m a big shot money man, can I have my bread for free?’
Do they go to the carpenter, the mason, the bricklayer, the teacher, the truck driver, the transport workers, the health workers, the shopworkers, the supermarket staff, those in the armed forces and emergency services, the farmer and say ‘Hey I make millions, do I have to pay you!’
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRh

ANYWAY. This Sunday Marcel Lucont at Nutty Anita’s It is 12 Euros. Crime that is sooooo cheap but Alexis- the man behind Marcel is a pretty cool dude and he both helped me get over a terrible gig and is one of the good guys in comedy. Left leaning but an artist not a politician and just an inspiration over the years. Here in Amsterdam. Imagine you had the chance to see a Peter Sellers or Spike Milligan or Ruby Wax in a cosy setting.

A night you will tell your grandkids about. You going to be sitting at home on Sunday watching the TV or trying to chill for Monday morning? Well come and watch a brilliant comedian and chill with us. Kind of act that really embellishes and changes your life for the better
Miss this show at your peril.
Hype? Nope.

Marcel Lucont this bon homme will be at Nutty Anita's at De Nieuwe Anita on Sunday.

You really have to try and come down, folks. Quite an act.
Marcel aka Alexis Dubus was also pretty much the first of the main professional circuit comedians to play Nutty Anita's and that put the show on the map so it is lovely when he returns.

Have a wee look:

Marcel Lucont - God - The Comedy Store London - Oct 2022 If you live in the UK and do not have tickets for one of my remaining tour dates, you really have to question what you are doing with your life...Oct 22: Tac...

There was once a dive squat bar we used to busk at the end of an evening in the street in between Lychenerstrasse and Dunckerstrasse in in Prenlauerberg's, Berlin's so called 'L*D' area.

ON the walll was a classic bit of graffiti :

'Schliemann's just another word for nothing left to lose'

RIP Kris Kristoffersen

Well, not had to write one of these for a while! There is a brand new comedy show on the Dutch Circuit in the Netherlands.

UPSTAIRS at Tierney's Irish Pub Haarlem was a cracker and full house. Thanks to Sarath Gopinath for jumping in and opening so well, local boy Jasper Nijzink for his sometimes deliciously dark one-liners and Cid Clementine for charming the pants off them to close first half.

We still need to tweak the room a wee bit and maybe make even more space and switch stage position but it is always a gas to break in a new room.

Richy Sheehy was in traditional manic form as headliner- no table was safe - he is at Comedy Huis in Utrecht on Saturday. I had a blast hosting and can't wait for edition 2 on Halloween, Thursday 31st October with the brilliant Ger Staunton and Martin Angolo- two first class Irish comedians


Thanks to Paul Tierney and the crew at Tierneys.

Guy from Abba gets married again....wonder what songs the DJ will play at the wedding :)

Absolutely brilliant edition of Nutty Anita's Sunday special.....'legendary' even.

Laugh a minute? There was a laugh every fifteen seconds so protagonists of 'count the laugh' and metrics ( Comedian in a Basker or MacDonalds Comedy if you like) would have had their stopwatches on fire :)

Zoe Ntonta first half act was brilliant. Just amazing and Karan Karthink did his special hour and it was impeccable. Everyone smashed it and the audience- pretty full room- was a delight.

I did sets as never before. Rattling off gags like Ken Dodd. Rapid-fire style. Couldn't believe how all the material is now clicking and segueing into other routines. Song about Dutch teaching is a killer and gets the room singing along

Shows soon in Haarlem - Thu 26th Sept with Richy Sheehy
Nadine Froughi headlines at Nutty Anita's on 3rd October and Marcel Lucont coming over to play Nutty Anita's on 20th October

All shows sure to be lege........really good :)

New night starting up in Haarlem!

Cinderella.....innit....

Faun - Aschenbrödel (Offizielles Video) FAUN "Aschenbrödel" aus ihrem neuen Album "Märchen & Mythen" (VÖ: 15.11.2019).+++ Alle Infos zum Album und zur Single hier +++http://umgt.de/maerchen-und-myt...