It seems that things do indeed get better if you wait long enough. This week has gone relatively smoothly, even as it is a busier week than the last one. Perhaps, that's a sign that I do much better when I have more classes during the week. I'm not so sure. Maybe it has to do with having more lessons to prepare, managing my free time better with reading and violin practice, and getting better sleep without resorting to "nappage" (or the over-indulgence in naps).
The beginning went well as I remembered to get up this time to go in for the voluntary discussion on the Tucson shootings and Illegal Immigration. Lo and behold, I was alive and kicking at 8am in a class of terminales (in case you haven't already noticed: my favorite group to teach). We had a good discussion and I had an opinion on the matter that was different than the previous assistant's, Nell M. who came last year. Nell hailed from Tucson, AZ, which had faced scrutiny before about the illegal immigration problem, so I'm sure her opinion was much more focused in on the problems within her own community. But I had an opinion, albeit one that was based upon facts collected from various news sources including the NY Times, Washington Post, and others. It's difficult to go solely on news sources though. Illegal immigration is a topic not as much seen or examined in Georgia as Tucson, but still, the existence of large Hispanic communities in places like Dalton make it a pertinent topic all the same. Monday was a typical Monday in any case, and I had to eat my lunch at the school. The afternoon passed by slowly as I had to wait between classes. Then, I had to change classes at the last minute for my literary Terminale students, so I was wandering around trying to find people and then, forgetting my worksheets, had to run back to my casier (locker) and grab them to return back downstairs to my students. We then proceeded to examine "Sound of Silence," (Simon and Garfunkel), which I was hardly prepared to talk about after running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Nevertheless, we made it through, and the students appreciated hearing my point of view on the song.
As for Tuesday, I managed to find something easy enough to teach to my sixth graders (sixieme) that did not require much effort on their part. I taught them how to say tongue twisters. It's a decent exercise in pronunciation that is fun and enjoyable. For example, "She sells seashells by the sea shore." A little tricky with the tongue there, but it's fun to say. I provided the French translation to the side on the board for all of my tongue twisters (which was a rough, sight translation, but it worked) so that the students would understand. After enjoying a bit of pronouncing, enunciating, and repeating, we continued to the second part of the lesson, which was a little more serious. We talked about money, starting by reviewing numbers. I showed them the dollar sign and then we continued to name other types of currency. Each student, on his or her worksheet, then chose the more logical price (choosing between two options), which helped the students estimate prices for different things (car, pencil, binder, etc.) I felt triumphant. For the last lesson with my sixth graders, I found something that was feasible for them and yet, something they enjoyed. We did some games with the white board in which each student participated gladly and with a lot of energy. I then rewarded the students for bearing with me with a video from the musical comedy, "Cabaret,"-- the song called "Money," with Liza Minnelli. Most of the kids laughed, but some of them cried out, "Monsieur, c'est pas bon; c'est nul!" Such exercises carried over to Thursday (today) as I did a retake of the tongue-twister/money lesson.
Wednesday was a total day off. My premieres (juniors) went on a ski trip and only one or two stuck around the school, so I called off the classes for the day. It was bliss. I got to sleep in for the first time on a Wednesday since the vacation. And, of course, since I love to indulge in sleep, I was a very happy camper. Didn't do too much either. Some reading, shopping at the librairie (bookstore), and hanging out with the German and Spanish assistantes with a coffee date at Le Voyageur (a local brasserie). And to continue a series of beautiful days, the sun shone through the entire day.
Today was not bad at all. Three classes at the middle school was rough and tiring, but somehow, I managed just fine, didn't have too much time leftover at the end, and kept most every student under control. That's a first, I have to say, and perhaps,it was good that it happened the last day with the sixth graders. It will permit me to make a comfortable transition with the seventh graders that I will see in a couple weeks. What was the cherry on the top of a good day was this afternoon. I made my way from the middle school and made some copies for my Terminale group. I got to change the classroom to one that had multimedia equipment (something that is not always reliable). That made things perfect.
The group I was about to see (TESB) had an exam last week, which was the reason they were not there. TESB always has a good excuse, something vraisemblable. Not surprising, because they're probably my best group. I ushered in my students and we plunged into "Sound of Silence" (Simon and Garfunkel). It was a guided discussion with a listening part at the beginning. Then, we proceeded to a textual analysis of the lyrics, examining first, difficult words and phrases, which I explained skillfully with ease in translations (wherever necessary). We then went stanza by stanza in a linear way, discussing the meaning of each section. I was impressed with how the students came up with their own interpretations of the text. It's a rather difficult text to work with, but is, no less, interesting. I felt a heave of gratification at the end, because it just went so well. A good way to end a busy Thursday.
For some reason, I have confidence to think that tomorrow is going to go well. I'm officially over the hill now. It's all downhill from here. Just two courses tomorrow: TSTGA (business terminale) and one course with the middle schoolers. Nothing to prepare, just show up and hand out photocopied worksheets. Wow. Here I am sitting under the light of a papier-mache lamp and feeling that week 3 was by far, my most successful week here for 2011. I think a glass of champagne and dark chocolate are called for this weekend. My optimism is only beginning...
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