Generally, this week has been fun and enjoyable. I handed out Mars chocolate bars to my 1eres and Terminale students at the middle and end of the week, and asked the students in Terminale what they will be doing next year. Needless to say, I am sad to see them leave but happy for what they are going to be doing just as I did at their age, pursuing higher education. They're great kids, no doubt. And I've so enjoyed working with them. Saying goodbye was difficult. At the same time, I couldn't restrain my excitement of leaving at the end of it all.
Take when I was at the middle school. Yesterday was a total disaster in two classes. They refused to listen to me, had paper wad wars, and it just overall was total chaos. Not my favorite way of leaving a class for good. Fortunately, some of the girls came up to me this afternoon and apologized for being so impolite and bad-behaved. I respected this gesture. At the very least, I have a souvenir of them apologizing for causing me so much trouble on my last day. I would much rather block out the other souvenirs. It's too painful. Trust me. You don't want to know the rest.
Meanwhile, today was better. I talked to my colleague and decided just to show Shrek for the last day. I certainly did not feel like doing anything with them. It's my last day with classes that happen to fall at the end of the day, the worst time to keep any kid's attention, even the good ones. That went okay. The kids were a little dumbfounded when I told them that today was my last day. It seems it only just began a couple weeks ago when I switched from being with 6eme for three long months. I'm ready, however, to leave the school with good memories. Even if it's been the most challenging and demoralizing part of my teaching experience, I want to remember the times like when I played violin for the kids, when we watched certain videos and the kids laughed, and even when they would race each other to finish their word puzzles. To many of the kids, my presence has been a huge asset, even if I only taught them two or three words of English. Not exactly what I had planned, but it's better than nothing. Fatigue has ensued, but the Lord has permitted me to persevere all along. And I must be thankful for that, because even when I've wanted to give up, the Lord has lifted me up and given me the confidence to continue and not quit. I'm not a quitter anyway. Determination and perseverence are gifts for which I am thankful.
I have a weekend to get ready for London, which will be fun, exciting, and, no doubt, exhausting. In any situation, it should be worth every minute. I'm going for free, so I will not do any complaining. Planning on enjoying what is sure to be an interesting journey. Educational and interesting. We leave at 4am on Monday morning and should arrive back in Mayenne on Saturday at midnight. See you on the other end. I'll come bearing pictures and blog entries by next weekend. Blessings, jcm.
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