Visiting the Schools

Touring the Schools

Today was a big day. Laura and I met with another assistant (Dominique, from Seattle!) and Philippe, the Conseiller Pédagogique (he has an administrative position where he trains teachers and helps the assistants get situated.) He is basically every language assistant's answered prayer in the flesh and at our disposal. He is so helpful it's ridiculous. He helped me find my amazing apartment. Today he helped us fill out a bunch of forms (when we get to France it's like a giant paperwork inferno*). He gave us our schedules and took us all on a tour of the schools we'll be working in! It was great saying a quick "bonjour" to the teachers, although I'm afraid it'll take a few more introductions before I'll remember all their names.

Specifics on the Program

I am hired to work 12 hours per week. Each class period for English is 45 minutes, so it works out to be 16 class periods. I teach each group of students twice weekly, so I will have 8 separate classes of students. I hope that wasn't too tricky to follow. Let's see, I'm estimating about 20 students per class, maybe 25, so about 150-200 students to meet next week...wow. Nametags that sit on the desks will be a priority. Since I'll be here for the full 9 months, I will be in charge of the classes each day**.

Age of the Students

I'll have 1 class of what we (in the United States) would consider 2nd graders (CE1 = 7-yr-olds), 3 separate classes of 4th graders (CM1 = 9-yr-olds), 1 4th/5th grade split class (CM1/CM2 = 9/10-yr-old combo), and 3 classes of 5th graders (CM2 = 10-yr-olds). So yep, that works out to be 8 classes of students!

Day to Day Life

I'm still getting acclimated (or as my British roomie Austin says, "acclimatised"), so I'm looking for "extra-curricular" activities to get involved in. Laura and I have been searching (no luck so far) for a gym where we could take an aerobics class together. I've also got a booklet with community associations, and I'm looking into the possibility of joining a choir and/or taking art classes. I'm thinking about enrolling at the nearby university*** for some French classes. I passed by a couple dance studios and am really eager to see if there are some good classes that aren't too expensive.

Other Very Important Things You Must Know

-- I bought an orchid at IKEA. It lives in my bathroom and is beautiful.
-- Our 4th roommate moved in, Emmanuelle, which balances our happy home: 2 nice boys and 2 nice girls. Countries represented: Spain, England, France, US. We are a multi-cultural family.
-- Mina, I bought a big pot (not cheap, I might add) at IKEA especially for making rice, because we didn't have one and it was obviously a serious issue. Also, I bought basmati and tortillas (which were in the foreign foods section at the Carrefour...lol) AND I got salt, and also we have butter. Yes, yes...you see where I'm going with this...
-- My nose is runny because I have a cold, but I am happy so it's ok.
-- Everything is closed in France all the time (a slight exaggeration, but still), which means planning ahead is important. Meaning, if you want to get anything done (errands-wise) on Sunday or Monday or between the hours of noon and 2pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday...good luck. Saturday morning is the market, so you can get veggies, but you can't go to the bank.
-- There is no elementary school on Wednesdays. Day off mid-week, go figure. Don't ask me what parents do with their kids, I didn't come up with the system.
-- I eat more chocolate in France than you can believe. I ate chocolate cereal 4 times yesterday. Also everywhere: chocolate croissants, chocolate cookies, chocolate-chip bread, oh and also some cafes give you a piece of chocolate with your coffee. It's rough, let me tell you. Good thing I live up a hill.

A plus!

*applying for social security, opening a bank account, getting housing contracts/renters insurance, applying for a worker's permit separate from the workers visa from the US, applying for the CAF--money from the gov't to help with rent....the list goes on and on.

**My friend Laura is here on a 7-month contract, so she will be more of an "assistant," working with the existing teachers in the classroom. On Tuesdays we will be working together all day, teaching all of our classes as a two-person team!

***The university where 2 of my roommates are taking classes is only a bus ride away. Nicole, who did this same program in Hyeres last year, highly recommended taking French classes there. I am considering it; I would get a diploma when I complete the year (good for the resumé, you know), plus I would probably meet some cool people my age (most people in Hyeres are retired, apparently). The downsides: takes up a lot of time (which I have...but could be spending doing other things too...) and is rather costly (in US$ it figures to be about...$800, not bad tho I guess when comparing it to university tuition at SPU...).