Day two of teaching (still introductory)

This morning, I went to the middle school to get my schedule from Mme. Bouttier, the teacher with whom I will be working and with the sixiemes (sixth graders).  Had lunch at the house with Pascal, Bastien, and another guy who is a landscaper in the area.  With chaussures mouillees (wet shoes), I decided that I would need to invest in a new pair of leather shoes that are impermeable.  It rains a lot in Mayenne, and having wet feet during the day could be potentially very miserable, especially for my feet.  I haven't got the blues yet, but the rain is starting to get a little old.  (I would like to see some sunshine soon and do a few outdoorsy things like look at the castle in Mayenne or simply stroll around the centre-ville.  Hopefully, by Saturday that will come.)

I got a new pair of reasonably priced (40 euros) Manta brown leather shoes that are comfortable, will conform to my foot, and best of all, will shield my feet from the rain.  I had to find a pair that wouldn't slide (glisser), because I am rather clumsy and will slide and fall flat on the ground without warning.  This pair has good traction and will be good for any occasion, whether walking down in Mayenne or going to church on Sunday.

Nathy took me to the lycee soon after so that I could go to my late afternoon English conversation class with the secondes (sophomores) at 17h00 (5:00pm).  I went to the accueil (welcome center) and got a key for C3 only to realize that my course was taking place in C6, so I had to go running back to the accueil to pick up the C6 key.  I was a little livid and had to present myself to the class (a small group of about 11 students) without the help of another professor.  I was also nervous and unsure what to say.  I didn't have a PowerPoint to show my presentation.  It would have been great.  Zut alors!  (Darn.)  So I started off with calling roll and realized several students were not there.   Then, I proceeded to say what I would say for the PowerPoint, introducing myself.  Afterwards, I asked the students a lot of questions:  what do you like to read; what music do you like; where would you like to travel; and what are your hobbies, likes and dislikes.   The students are able to speak rather well without too many problems.  They have studied in English in school for a long while-- at least 8 years.  Meanwhile, many are still hesitant to speak.   I made it through the whole class without a problem.  In spite of my confusion at the beginning, I think it was a pretty decent introduction for this conversation class.