Culture

Adele Getting Surprised By Her Year 8 English Teacher Is The Purest Thing You’ll See Today

I guess being weirdly obsessed with a high school English teacher really is a universal experience.

by Michelle Rennex  22 November 2021
Adele Teacher ITV An Audience With Adele

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If there’s one universal high school experience all women share it’s being profoundly impacted by an English teacher — Adele’s reaction to being surprised by her year eight teacher is all the proof we need.

As part of the press rounds for her latest album 30, Adele’s live An Audience With Adele concert special was televised in the UK over the weekend. Similar to her CBS special, Adele performed a few songs in front of a star-studded crowd and revealed some lesser known facts about herself.

But instead of being asked question by Oprah, Adele was quizzed by celebrities in the audience for her ITV special. Dawn French asked about the singer’s experience with playing relationship therapist because of her music, while Samuel L. Jackson grilled Adele on whether she had ever used her icon status to get out of any particularly sticky situations.

But one of the most powerful questions came from Dame Emma Thompson, who asked Adele to think about the one person who inspired her most in life when she was younger. The answer? Miss McDonald, Adele’s eighth grade English teacher from Chestnut Grove School in Balham, London.

“My question is, when you were younger, was there someone who kind of supported you or inspired you or sort of protected you from all the trials and tribulations of life — and inspired you to sort of go on?” asked Thompson.

“Yeah I had a teacher at Chestnut Grove who taught me English,” Adele responded without a second thought. “She left in year eight. It was just one year, but she got me really into literature. Like I’ve always been obsessed with English and obviously now I write lyrics.”

“She was so bloody cool, so engaging, and she really made us care, and we knew that she cared about us and stuff like that. She used to have all these gold bracelets and gold rings. She was bloody cool and so relatable and likeable, that I really looked forward to my English lessons.”

After revealing that the pair never kept in touch once McDonald left the school, Thompson surprised Adele with her favourite teacher, so the pair could finally reunite.

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Immediately tearing up at the site of her former teacher, the pair shared a hug and caught up before vowing to exchange phone numbers so they don’t lose touch again.

And in true high school English teacher style, McDonald continued to share words of encouragement by telling Adele how proud she was, while the singer reiterated how much of an impact the teacher had growing up.

“No you really, you really did change my life. Mum! Mum can you believe it?” Adele said while crying. “I haven’t seen you since I was, like, 12. I’ve still got all my books, you know? I’ve got all my books from when you were my teacher.”

Having to part ways so she could finish the show, Adele said “bye Miss” before moving to the side to get her makeup retouched. And as her tear-stained foundation was getting fixed, Alan Carr jumped on stage to fill in the silence with a questionable, but perfect, cover of ‘Make You Feel My Love’.

Adele’s reaction to being reunited with her high school English teacher has proved she really is just one of us.