Mario Rinvolucri, master teacher, passed away this week at the age of 84. He opened the door to teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) for me. Then, once inside, he showed me how to open the windows and let in the light. He loved nothing more than a noisy classroom humming with conversation. He was one of a kind.
One of my very first posts still available on this blog, We all know stories, is about my first chance encounter with Mario.
His legacy is enormous. I can say that now he’s no longer here to disapprove. Not only because he helped create Pilgrims Teacher Training and HLT (Humanising Language Teaching) Magazine which live on, and not just in terms of his prolific and immensely varied writing, but also because he reached so many people individually through his teaching, travelling and correspondance.
He was a giant in the field of teaching EFL. We often talk about standing on the shoulders of giants so we can see further. Mario Rinvolucri was the sort of person who said : “I’d like to see what you’re looking at. Can I look over your shoulder? … Hey, this is new territory!” He was like that. He always saw genius in other people and helped us share what we didn’t always know we had.
When working with storytelling in class, as I have constantly since that first experience of seeing it at work in his teaching back when I started as a trainee, I have often thought as I watch the room buzzing with student narratives that I wished Mario were there to see it. But of course he always was there, every time.
We all know stories
“I appreciate the detailed explanation, very helpful!”