Pont-de-Chéruy

November 2, 2020

This was my first day at the Pont-de-Chéruy middle school. I was pretty anxious. I had to figure out how to navigate a new bus system, find my way to the school, and hope that I would be able to effectively communicate. I was still missing my suitcase, so I had no professional clothes and had had to hand wash my mask from the day before in the bedroom sink. I filled out my attestation, made my way to the station, and was allowed on the bus for free.

I arrived an hour before class and was greeted at the door by a member of the staff who was excited to practice her English. They had been uncertain I would arrive because of recently tightened COVID restrictions in France. I was introduced to the office staff, the principal and vice principal, and finally the rest of the English staff (Corinne, Viri, and Christel). We gathered in a little huddle and worked together to devise a schedule for the day, writing it down on a sheet of tiny paper.

I spent the first two hours of the day with Corinne and her 3ème classes. These students would be the equivalent of 8th graders in the US. They would have had roughly 2-3 years of English classroom experience. I was impressed. They were really excited and engaged. I was shocked throughout the day at the excited my presence elicited from them. Kids waited to talk with me individually after classes, one girl looked for me in the hallway to give me an elbow bump, and others waited to tell me how beautiful I was.

There was a 20 minute morning break which surprised me. All the kids went outside and all the teachers went into the staff room for a coffee. Corinne was super sweet and bought me one. I met the Italian professor and we exchanged phone numbers. She was excited to practice English and offered to travel through Italy with me when confinement ends!

At noon, we went to lunch. I ate with Christel in the cantine (lunchroom). We had loaded up a little card with meals for me earlier in the day. Everyone received a fruit, a piece of cheese, a main plate with meat and veggies, bread, and a choice of dessert. I was surprised to learn everything was made fresh in the school each day from local ingredients.

We ate quickly so that we could make it to the environmental club she hosted during the lunch break. The students worked on clearing a small garden and taking compost to new boxes located behind the school.

After lunch I worked an hour with Corinne’s 6ème students. Though they were less advanced (they are the equivalent of 6th graders and it is their first year of language) they were much more enthusiastic than the older students.

I ended the day with two 3ème classes with Christel. These were the “euro” classes. They are considered the most advanced in the school. They were learning about the British monarchy in English. At the end of class we had a few minutes to talk and get introduced. They asked about the US election. All of them thought Trump would win, but thought it was a bad thing. Their parents said it wouldn’t be safe to come to the US anymore.

After classes I got to pick up my suitcase, which had arrived during the day. What a relief!!! Christel introduced me to another teacher who lives in Crémieu, where I’m staying, and she gave me a ride home in her car. She offered to help me look for an apartment and to lend me some books, which was awesome!

I was exhausted from all the French and wanted some comfort when I got back to the Airbnb. I made some Kraft mac and cheese and boiled some potatoes for later in the week.