So today I observed my first lessons in the Collège. Up until this point I had only had a quick tour of the building and met the main staff members I would be working with, but after realising nothing would be planned for me unless I asked for contact hours (it seems don't ask, don't get - my timetable is a bit like a yeti: many have heard of it, yet no-one has actually seen it...) I emailed my collège responsable last night for some lessons to observe today. French school starts at 8am (and generally finishes around 4 or 5pm) so I was picked up from my accommodation at the horrific hour of 7.40am. Anyone reading this blog should know me well enough to know that I tend to get up around 11am, and reluctantly at that.
First lesson: watching 30 sixieme students (French 11 year olds) vote for their class representative. Ah the days of School Council... that made me feel really old.
Second lesson: watching quatrieme students (13yrs) struggle with irregular English verbs - I know they're difficult, but French irregulars are just as bad!!
Small break: raining, so I chat to teachers in the staff room.
Third and four lessons: being interrogated by troisiemes (14/15) about Britain, my culture, but most of all my personal life. How old am I? and What sports do you like? dramatically took a turn in an altogether different direction when one confident and cheeky individual asked Do you have a boyfriend? which quickly led to Do you love him? Are you going to marry him? Do you like French kissing?
Nonetheless, they were both very entertaining hours, perhaps the most fun I've had since coming to Romo, and the kids seemed really nice. Many of these children (because this part of rural France has some quite deprived areas which the kid are bussed in from to go to school here) will never leave their departement, let alone France, so I really am exotic and fascinating for them.
Warning: self-indulgent pensive thoughts hereon
This led me to the following sombre thoughts.
Firstly, how depressing it is that this is the case in a 'First World' country and how much I take travelling for granted. This summer alone I went to Germany and Canada before coming here to France, and at Easter I went skiing in Austria.
Secondly, I realised that I really must try and bring a bit of Britain, of the world, even, to them because they're not going to be able to go and grab the world for themselves. For so long the Year Abroad has seemed like an inconvenience to me when I could be at a Cheesy Tuesday in Arena or playing in the mud at OTC.
Only now when I think about it do I realise what a privilege it is for me to be in this position. I have been served a life experience on a plate. This is the best chance I am ever going to get at integrating into France (or any other country) because I am young enough not to have any real ties, and this teaching job is an amazing way to integrate, to learn about another culture, and learn more about what brings us together as people. 'It is in teaching that we truly learn' has definitely taken on a new meaning for me!
Not being fluent in French has really shown me how much of 'language' is actually 'body language'. Particularly in the MAJO where I have made friends with some people my age and they speak very fast and use slang terms (sou = cash, I now know), most of the time I have absolutely no idea what is going on. Nonetheless I can grasp the jist of the conversation from key words and people's actions and tone of voice; the French in particular like to gesticulate and make sounds to replace words.
Hopefully I have been filled with a new resolve to really make the most out of my year abroad, for both those I am teaching and myself.
| Lycée Claude de France |
Anyway, that was my time done at the collège. I then sped-walked to the Lycée, rapidly filled out my Erasmus forms - bring on the grant, patisseries beware - and went to see the secretary to give her my bank details so that I can be paid (yet another bonus from being a TA on the YA). Which leads me onto the topic of banks and HORRIFIC French bureaucracy, which shall be left for another blog entry...
No comments:
Post a Comment