“Hello! Good morning, my name is Miss. Audrey. I am from Chicago, a city in America. Now I live in Nîmes.”
This was essentially my introduction in each class…and then I repeated it in French.
Very. Easy. Slow. English.
Lotsoffastfrenchwithvocabidon’tknowwhileotherstudentsspeakatthesametimejustasquickly.
As exhausting as the day was, I really enjoyed it J I had 3 classes in the morning and only 2 in the afternoon. Normally it will be 4 in the afternoon, but there was a strike today so two of my teachers weren’t in school. Home an hour early!
Moments in…
Class 1: Realized they were just learning the French alphabet…hmm no writing in this class!
Class 2: Witty banter between teacher & student is normal. Kids get 30 minutes of recess after an hour and a half of class.
Class 3: Takes 20 minutes to get each kid to say phrase “I am 8/9 years old.” Boy announces that Washington D.C. is the capital of New York…then tells me I’m wrong when I correct him. Hardcore geography lesson comin’ at them.
Class 4 (2nd school): Translated question from a boy: “Are there lots of thunderstorms because of all the tall buildings?” (So hard not to laugh) Girls passing notes in the back.
Class 5: Girl comes up to me and says “Vous êtes très belle!” My day is made, yet again.
A total of an hour and a half of walking for the day, not bad at all! On my walk home I whipped out the French/English dictionary because in my last class I was really struggling with explaining things in French. I think it was because I was so exhausted, and it was the most French I’ve spoken & listened to since arriving here. It certainly increased my motivation to start working in my grammar books on a regular basis! Oh, in most of my classes I introduced myself first & then asked what they knew in English & then took questions. In all except for one, I sat down & observed their normal lesson. In a few the kids were working on French grammar…at about the level I’m at. Or certainly at a level I could review! It helped to sit down and watch the teacher & students interact, and gave me time to take notes on each class & their level of English. Spent a few hours at home relaxing & then met some other assistants for a drink to exchange stories & lesson ideas. Orientation #2 tomorrow morning & then lesson planning & perhaps French social security!
It was the hardest day of teaching I’ve ever had due to the language barrier, but I am SO excited to be back in the classroom & to challenge myself as a teacher & student.
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