Thursday
I met Catherine at Place les Platanes at 8am. As we rode to school, she told me about her experience with the British variant of COVID. It sounded absolutely horrible. I was concerned that she already was returning to work and hadn’t been retested. I know that the French don’t require it, but it makes me anxious to think about. I was thankful I decided to start wearing two masks in schools.
I arrived at my first classroom and was surprised when it was empty. I checked my email and discovered that the teacher was on strike that day, so there would be no students from his class. I got to spend an hour reading and chatting with friends that were up way too late.
My next class finished “12 Years A Slave” and had a small discussion. Even though the students watched the movie in French, I don’t think they fully understood it. One student asked how long Solomon was enslaved, as if it wasn’t the title of the dang movie. I wonder if these kids really are just not developing critical thinking skills.
My next class was a 4ème group with Catherine. We did the “Civil Rights in Media” presentation. The kids didn’t really seem to care or understand. I wasn’t really able to present or speak with the kids because Catherine talked over me in French.
The last class of the day was the 6ème. They asked some really great questions on the same presentation. It was more encouraging. I think they are really curious and excited to be learning English.
Finally, I got to go home. I made some fried rice and got to talk with my dad on the phone. In the evening, I called one of my friends and got to chat before bed. It was a good way to start my vacation.
Mary-Est-En-France 