the first week back =)

This year is off to a great start! Especially in 6eme…I started out real firm and it’s awesome how well they are responding. I’ve got all 40 or so pairs of eyes on me and their ears listening to me as well. I made all the kids take out a sheet of paper and I went around to each kid and handwrote each of their names. It would have been easier and faster if I had eux meme fait ça, but it’s a whole lot easier on my eyes if I can read my own handwriting. Plus, I think it ensured my kids that I want to get to know each of them. It’s amazing how a little individual attention and a lot of French can do in the first days of school. Last year is going to look terrible in retrospect. But I also think that I wouldn’t be the teacher I am and will be, had it not been for all the suffering I went through last year as a teacher. =)

My 5eme kids on the other hand…I think 5eme kids will be 5eme kids and use the whole year to make trouble. I think that for the most part they treat the year to mess around and not be too studious. It’s a weird age. But it’s nice to walk into their classroom and know 85 percent of their names. And I also feel comfortable joking around with them right off the bat. Currently, as of today, I only have one of the two 6emes I had last year. The smaller and perhaps the better behaved class: 6m2 now 5m2. And about twice a day I have kids from my 6m4 class from last year come up to me and ask me why I don’t have them this year. I’ve buckled. I went to talk to the censeur (vice principal) to see if he can switch things around so that I can teach them again. They’re like my babies, and I feel horrible leaving them to another teacher. I wonder if teachers back home get that kind of attachment to their students. It’s early enough in the year to say that I am 75 percent sure that the censeur will make it happen. I’m just that special; though I wish I could claim a higher percentage.

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End of the first week!

Ahhh, I had such a blast this week. I have been reminded how cute and little the 6eme kids are at the beginning of the year! Oh how I wish they would stay that size! (It makes keeping them in line and the punishments that much easier!!)

And I’ve been lucky too. It sounds like most volunteers have barely picked up their employ du temps (aka schedules for the year). Not only did I pick up my schedule last week…but I have essentially been able to dive into my lessons. A lot of teachers at my school claim to not have started, déjà, because the kids don’t come to school. And then I talk to the students, and they say that their teachers don’t come to school…problematic, non? Well, I did not have that problem. I showed up to school this week, Monday morning at 7am and as a result, I had full classes by the end of the week. Word spreads fast.

In my 5eme class, there is a kid by the name of Sylvain. He is one of my top 5 favorites. He is however of the reasons why I sometimes hate teaching. Sure he’s hilarious and makes awesome jokes that make even me laugh. At times, I can hardly keep a strait face. For example, today I was teaching “adverbs of frequency” (ie always, sometimes never…) and then he said “ah, madame, ce n’est past huit heure…c’est “never?” (aka neuf heure). Haha, get it?

Anyways, he was strolling past my second class of the afternoon, and I walked out and called him by name. And he just took off running. It was quite hilarious and kinda cute. But I made him some back because I wanted to talk to him before class today, but he showed up a little late, on account of the rain. And then the kids were all busy copying down the hw assignment that I couldn’t talk to him after class. So anyways, I told him we need to talk before the next time we have class. (it’s delightful how—when hot-shot students, like Sylvain, get called out by teachers; they turn into humbled, cute, squishy little teddy bears.) I am going to tell Sylvain that I appreciate his sense of humor. It’s lively and he’s got some good jokes and it makes my job more fun. But he needs to know that there’s a time and place for his comedy routines. Sylvain is a really smart, bright, hard working kid, and I want to channel his actions/humor in a more positive direction…to see if I can work with him instead of just being another member of his audience.

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I think I am going to be really sad when I leave. Chances are that I won’t ever see my kids again. Not that I don’t want to, but with the way things work here…I just don’t think that it’s feasible. And that breaks my heart. Despite all the BS that I have to put up with sometimes, this place has captured my heart. And it’s going to suck to have to leave.

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Maybe I should do little biographies for y’all of my kids. A little blurb and a picture too. I’ll see what I can do…