Monday
I think I’m getting the hang of this! Today I had five different classes.
I started with Corinne’s 3ème (8th grade) group. They were not enthusiastic and their English skills were about as low as some of the 6ème groups. We identified states, parts of Michigan, and I shared some details about my life. Some of the boys think they’re too cool to be learning English. Peak angsty energy.
Corinne’s second 3ème class was great. Some of the euro kids are in there, so conversation went really smoothly and we were able to practice for their upcoming oral quiz. They are using detective stories to learn how to ask questions in English. Corinne gave us some phrases and together, we created a detective story! The kids decided that Mr. had been pushed out a window while the students made pancakes and that one of their classmates had been seen exiting the room. As class ended, they voted to convict her! Quelle drâme!
The cantine offered chicken with gravy over potatoes and mushrooms. I thought it was really good! For dessert there was a little cream pastry. I was a little late because I had stayed to talk with Corinne about the morning classes, but I still made it out to Green Club. We spent more time planting bulbs this afternoon. My group struggled because our shovel broke!
After lunch I had one 6ème class with Corinne. This group is super enthusiastic and they’re a joy to work with. We learned more about Michigan together. They used the same powerpoint as the first 3ème group and did a lot better with it.
My last class of the day is the euro group. They are very good at speaking only in English. All of them are very excited to talk every week. Christel asked that I prepare a lesson on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It was really hard for the kids to understand. We watched a video and tried to talk it out, but with less than an hour together I think it was just really ambitious. Apparently, the kids will be working online with Italian and Spanish students on a final project concerning these goals which should be super beneficial for them!
Mme Bodet came to take me home and she invited me over for a snack and dinner later on. We had crêpes with Nutella and a water. I went back to my house until dinner at 7:30 (I was starving!!) Her husband Daniel made risotto and chicken. It was really tasty. Their son is in one of my classes, so they quizzed him about class today and told him to “profite-bien!” from my being here. They encouraged him to make a list of questions for me with his friends so we could talk about them in class. We talked about Thanksgiving, traveling and using other languages, and the differences between American TV and French TV. After dinner we watched the news together and had tea before I came home to write lessons.
Tomorrow I am teaching about heroes.
Mary-Est-En-France 