Short week with time to recover

I did so much over the holidays that it was almost too much when I got back to school on Thursday. My return trip from Paris was just the day before. The next day (yesterday) I was with the middle schoolers again, trying to teach them English. 6th graders are tough and yet they can be fun to work with at the same time. I had to take disciplinary action with two students yesterday by marking in their carnets (or behavior book). Hopefully, that will show the students that I'm not willing to take any of their bad behavior. The afternoon, however, was much better. I taught the terminale students, and they were absolutely wonderful. They listened, raised their hands with questions, and intervened whenever. Finally, I seem to be getting the hang of teaching and managing a classroom. For this group of terminale students (seniors), I did my introduction and then talked a little bit about Halloween. They seemed to appreciate this and were very attentive throughout the class. I felt much better after giving this particular class.

The next day (today) was much improved as well. The 8h00 class was attentive, even at that early hour of the morning. Teaching even at this early hour was possible and I felt a surge of energy even as I was tired and drained. I talked about facebook and mobile telephones (mass communication). Started out with a partner discussion of a list of questions about facebook, moved into a presentation of the functions of facebook, viewed the "Social Network" trailer with the students, and ended with a discussion of the uses and dangers of mobile telephones (especially on the road). The discussion concluded with a statement about how we are very much interconnected but must be careful with the technology that we use so much on a daily basis. After my early morning class, I walked over to the middle school to give a course (introductory, of course), and it was a success! The kids were attentive, raised their hands, and contributed to the discussion. I'm finally getting the hang of teaching middle school! (I had prayed fervently about adjusting to their level. The Lord clearly answered my prayer and has helped me in the process. Yay!) It was easy and smooth, just the way I love things to go.

The weekend has arrived after what seems like a long week of travels, vacation, and work. The Griffons are hosting a 50th birthday celebration of a friend, so that should be fun. I go back to orchestra rehearsal tomorrow after a three week hiatus, and church on Sunday as usual. Back to la vie mayennaise (and that's not "mayonnaise" that we like to put on our sandwiches. :P )