After 2 days of teaching it's time for a two-week vacation

When I arrived in Saint Fargeau, I was a little surprised to learn that I would only be teaching two days per week. The other three days have been granted for me to plan lessons, complete the required assignments for the on-line component of the TAB program, and to explore the local culture. I was also (pleasantly) surprised to learn that after teaching a grand total of two days, I would have a two and a half week vacation period. This is how the French roll......

Tomorrow I'm saying "Au Revoir" to France for the moment and travelling to the UK for a 16-day tour. My trip itinerary includes: Paris - London - Oxford - Northampton - Birmingham - Liverpool - Buckinghamshire - London - Paris. I'll be doing some solo travelling as well as staying with fantastic friends. I'll be seeing the birthplace of my mom and her family, and the home of the Beatles. I'll also be checking out some of the famous sites where Harry Potter was filmed :) I've never been to the UK before and am so excited for this unexpected opportunity. Thanks in advance to my wonderful friends who will be hosting me!

In other news, my first two days of teaching were very successful, albeit slightly exhausting. Each day I teach 6 - 45 minute classes at the elementary level. Luckily for me, all of the classes are at roughly the same english level, regardless of their grade. The students here know some basic greetings (Hello, My name is...), numbers (mostly 1-20), general niceties (good afternoon, how are you), and a spattering of colours and fruits. I have been given a very general curriculum guide, as well as a wish that the students begin to learn conversational english over the course of 7 classes. 

During my classes this week, the teachers watched for content as well as lesson delivery. I brought my own style of teaching to the classroom, sitting with the students in a circle, communicating openly and patiently, and encouraging active participation. In my English class, I want the students not to have to worry about being scolded or humiliated for a wrong answer (which I have seen here in numerous classrooms). I want the students to engage with the language, and to risk making mistakes in order to practice speaking. 

I told the students that all of the things I wanted them to do and practice were things that I was doing myself in order to improve my French. I told them that they could help me with my French as much as I could help them with their English. The students liked this, and I could feel them open up to me as I shared how we were all going through the same experience of learning a new language. In my teaching practice I want my students to know that they have much to offer to the classroom community, and that the flow of information does not always go from teacher to student. This is a concept that is not embraced within the French education system, but I am thrilled to be inviting these ideas into my TAB setting. 

One Week In

As of today I have been in France for an entire week, and the experience has been both incredible and slightly overwhelming. While I am here I will be living in a small commune, Saint Fargeau, located in the Ile de France region. It is considered a suburb of Paris, and the City of Lights a very simple 45 minute train ride away. In terms of lifestyle, Saint Fargeau could not possibly be any more different than what I am used to living in inner-city Calgary, where a plethora of cafes, restaurants, shops, and activity are mere steps away. The main street in Saint Fargeau consists of a Tabac (store that sells cigarettes and magazines), Boulangerie (butcher), and a salon. As someone who is passionate about inner-city living, and believes in the importance of sacrificing space in order to live in a vibrant, thriving community with mixed-land use developments, this is a huge difference in lifestyle. One of my hopes in participating in the TAB program was to experience, and learn from, living in a different culture, and my setting in Saint Fargeau is fulfilling this wish. 

I am also shocked by the differences between the French educational system and our own in Canada. Having not done a ton of research in the days before I left Canada, I had a romanticized idea that since the French have such comprehensive health care they must also have a strong and supportive education system. The differences, both idealogical and structural, between our systems is far greater than I could have imagined. The French educational system is driven by knowledge-based, teacher directed, top down lessons, and they have little time for students who do not fit into this profile. When discussing the inquiry-based model that we are practicing in Canada, I was told "That is a joke. We don't joke around here. We learn." This juxtaposition of ideals makes me appreciate our Canadian system even more than I have in the past. I could go on and on about the differences in the system, but I'll speak more to them in an upcoming assignment.

The past week has been quite relaxed while we adjust to our new setting. Last week I visited a couple of schools, albeit briefly, for an introduction and to say hello to the students. The majority of the students were shocked that we have travelled all the way from Canada to work with them in the classroom, and we are greeted with a chorus of "Hello! My name is...." every time we enter a school. The level of english for most of the students does not extend very much past those skills, and the same is true for most of the teachers at the school. We certainly have our work cut out for us. 

On Friday I found out that I will be teaching exclusively at two of Saint Fargeau's schools: Saint Exupery II (which is for ages 8-12) and Saint Exupery I (ages 5-8). I will have 12 classes spread over 2 days, and will be in the school for a total of 8 weeks. This seems much shorter than I had imagined, but in two weeks there is a two week vacation period which eliminates two weeks of teaching. 

I start at Sain Ex. on Monday for two full days of observation, before I start officially teaching the following week. I am SO excited to see an entire school day and to experience the education system 'in the flesh'. My initial impressions of the system have all come from meetings with various administrators, and I am so curious to see if what they have told me matches with what I will see in the classroom.