4h30 France time
Today I was thinking I would go to the bank and the prefecture to take care of some official business, but as it turned out… I didn’t want to. It was my long day at school—I teach five classes—and I’ve been a bit sleep-deprived. My classes this morning and afternoon were a teensy bit more challenging than normal, but you know, I wouldn’t really care if I thought no one else did. When the kids get really excited and loud, I honestly don’t mind all that much. But French teachers are a little stricter, I believe, than teachers in the U.S. or Britain, and so I have to figure out how to keep things under control. Today some of the kids in one of my older classes were brandishing rulers by the end of the English lesson, and their teacher approached me in the Teacher’s Lounge. When I understood that he was about to talk to me about how to teach, I wanted to sink into the floor, but he was actually very nice and diplomatic. He said a billion times that he didn’t want to “interfere,” but that I might want to include more written work in class and maintain more discipline. And I let the kids walk around the classroom for an activity this morning, which I realize now is not something French kids do during class.
But I like being the fun teacher. :(
Yesterday I went to a meeting for the English assistants that was really boring and little stressful. But at the end of it, Mariella, another American, approached me and said, “What are you doing today? Do you want to go shopping or something? I don’t want to sound desperate, but I’m not around a lot of people these days and I thought we could hang out.” Poor thing. We’ve all been there. So I went with her and Paula to get something to eat (Paula had the most delicious crème brûlée) and then Mariella and I went shopping. Please, someone, freeze my bank account. I’m getting a little crazy with the French fashion. I go into these clothing stores, and everything looks attractive. Everything looks like something I might like to wear. And as I live behind a mall, I walk through it several times a day. The temptation is enormous; it’s killing my pocketbook. But I feel so well-dressed these days!
Tonight I’m pondering going to a language exchange program called “Tandem.” The English assistants were encouraged to come and chat in English with future French English teachers, and I figured that the program meant a free French friend. Then this weekend, my Romanian friends want to go to Bordeaux, and I’m determined to join them. I have things to do, lessons to plan, but I know I’ll kick myself if I don’t take every opportunity I can to travel in this fabulous country.
Oh! And I went to the library this week. Incredible. It’s beautiful and full of wonderful things. I looked through the classical music section, which was at least twenty times bigger than that of our local library in St. Louis, and I found things that I never found at Missouri State. I think that’s pretty sad, actually. The DVD section had seasons of Lost and Arrested Development, which I thought was amusing, and there were a million books. I also picked up a pamphlet about activities in Limoges—I’m hoping to find a yoga class. Heh. Not that I can do yoga.
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Tsk. I'd want to be the fun teacher, too. But I guess that's a little much for youngsters; they won't listen to you if you're nice ALL the time. You should find some rambunctious child and scold him/her so the class will fear you. But still love you.
ReplyDeleteOoooh speaking of books I have a huge favor to ask you: I know you don't have a ton of money, but if you ever come across Howl's Moving Castle in a librairie (in France it should be called Le Chateau Ambulant), would you be so kind as to think of your dear younger sister and purchase said book? I would love you forever if you did. And hate you forever if you didn't.
Also, I have ransacked your wardrobe, and your dearest possessions are now mine.