January 25, 2021

Monday

I got a text late Sunday that let me know I would not have any of my morning classes on Monday. All the kids were taking exams before the conseils de classe that would be taking place later that evening. I decided to sleep in and take the 10:16 bus to town.

I arrived in Pont Chéruy around 11:30. I walked over to the boulangerie and got a little snack for myself. I wasn’t really in the mood to teach that afternoon, so I also treated myself to a coffee éclair. I sat an ate my snack by the river and watched cars pass over the bridge. An old man walked by with his mini-poodle and told me, “Bon appétit!” I thought it was pretty sweet.

By the time I finished eating, most of the shops I wanted to visit downtown were closed. In France, it’s really common for shops to close from 12 to about 1:30 or 2pm. Workers can take a long lunch or go home for a little nap. I decided to head up to the school and have a coffee while I got my slides ready. I had enough time to read a bit, as well!

My first class of the day was my new 4ème group. They’re pretty rambunctious, but their English isn’t bad. I started by introducing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They were convinced that Kamala was Joe’s wife. It took longer than I would’ve liked for them to finally understand that Harris was the Vice President and what that meant. Finally, we were able to get started on the Civil Rights discussion I’ve been sharing with other groups. They were really interested in the KKK, so I shared some resources where they could learn more about the group and the historical context that surrounds them.

The second group is my new set of 6ème students. They’re also a little more difficult. We worked on folk tales together. Their English level is lower, so it was a challenge for them to understand the short clips that I shared. I did my best to have a conversation with the class after each one so we could make sure everyone was on the same level of comprehension.

My last class of the day was the 3ème euro group. We did the Civil Rights lesson together. I was surprised, but it really did not go over well with them. They didn’t ask many questions at all and really weren’t involved. Either this class really doesn’t care for history or they’re just too tired at the end of the day to do any serious work in their second language. While I was a little disappointed, I do understand.

I took the bus home with all the students and walked the half mile home from the bus stop in the rain. I felt completely exhausted, despite it being just a half day. I took a two hour nap before dinner. I ate with the Bodet family and we popped some champagne to celebrate good news I’d received over the weekend.

When I went home, I enjoyed a phone call with my family.