Middle Schoolers...oh là là!

So this past week was the closest "full week" of work that I have had in a long time (even though 2 classes were cancelled, well not really cancelled, more like I wanted a few minutes, no one showed up, and I had to go to the office just to find out the students were with other teachers or just didn't show up).  Regardless...lets get back to my story about middle schoolers.

I had a great activity planned out for my students, we were going to play a modified version of Pictionary but they had to write full (ERROR FREE) sentences about what the person in the figure was doing.  (Harder than it sounds for them).  Given the age of the students and the excitement that this game would bring, I asked my teacher if she would warn them to behave.  She gladly did so and even added her own twist saying "If you do not behave, I have these slips in my desk called detentions (students GASP) and that means 2 hours of your Wednesday afternoon will be spent at school."  The students put on their serious faces and promised they'd behave.  Well, one student must have thought that she was joking (or that I am too nice to actually give him a detention).  He decided it was acceptable to yell "putain de merde"...TRANSLATION: F***KING SH*T!  That is the exact moment I said "Leave, go back to the classroom with your teacher and you can't play the game."  I am not sure why he thought it was acceptable to yell that...it must be because either 1.)He thinks I don't understand French 2.) He thinks I am too nice to discipline him or maybe even that because I am not a real teacher, I wouldn't do anything.  I am thinking it was more #1!  He should know better, not only that you don't say that in class but also that swear words are the first words anyone learns in a language (besides hello and thank you).

After the class was over I went and spoke to the teacher and told her what happened.  Apparently he had no idea why he was sent back to the classroom AND when he came back to her classroom he opened the door and proceeded to kick his backpack all the way to the back of the classroom!  

Pretty sure I made an enemy, if the teacher allows him to come with me next time (because it truly is a privilege for the students), I guess I will see if he tries to give me crap again!  Hopefully he (as well as the rest of their class) learned their lesson.

I did the same lesson 2 times with 2 different groups. 

Life as a Language Assistant

Yesterday there was no buses as I said meaning that I had to wake up at 7:45, throw on a pair of jeans and a shirt and peek my head through the window to see if any of my students were there.  Nope, of course not meaning that I could go back to bed.  Yesterday I didn’t do very much.  Lounged around, made lunch, read my book, and went to taiso (an exercise class I joined last week)!

As for today, I normally have 2 classes.  My favorite class is at 9AM and then I am going to meet another group for the first time at 11AM.  Let’s start with the 9AM class.  These students are very nice and also very good at English (this does not happen ever).  It just so happens that this is also the class that stands me up the most often.  For example, this morning I got up early to make sure I got all of my copying done (sometimes there are lines) and went to my class.  There were no students so I walked my butt over to the office and told them, they informed me that the students had “devoir de maths,” to me meaning math homework.  I said alright and she told me to talk to their English teacher so that the Math teacher warns her so that I can then be told that they don’t have class.  When I was walking back to my room, I saw one of my students who is Scottish and took the opportunity to ask him what “devoirs de maths” actually means.  He told me that it is a math test and explained to me that “devoirs” can mean either homework or test.  Supposedly “devoirs de maths” is during a free period like study hall normally. Apparently they consider time with the English Assistant a free period.  Cool.  It is reasons like this that my job feels useless.  I am always put on the back burner and am considered at the bottom of the totem pole.  What makes me even more frustrated is that this is the THIRD (maybe fourth?) time that I have been stood up by this class.  And for them I always go out of my way to make their class more fun/interesting because they understand more than “I am 16 years old and I have one sister” for example.  So now I am going to hang around until 11 until my next class (this could be quality sleeping time, not anymore though)! 

How to NOT deal with snow

Two weeks ago from today the weather forecast predicted snow.  Woohoo--- snow for the first time this winter.  (Previous to that weekend, the temperature was hovering around 40 or 45.  Warm enough where I can still go running).  That Monday it was supposed to snow in the evening.  So, around 2 o’clock the students and the teachers were dismissed early to go home.  My first class is at 2:30 on Mondays so I didn’t even have to work.  Yay.  It only snowed about 2 inches and the buses didn’t run again until THURSDAY.  To clarify, when the buses don’t run, it does NOT mean that school is closed.  It means that any student who can get to school can still come and the teachers are still scheduled to come too.  Also the boarding school students are expected to come (there are around 50).  So, every morning, I’d wake up throw on a hoodie, check if any students were waiting for me (none of which were) and I’d go back to bed.  In all honesty, I have no desire to teach only 3 students!  Not worth it.  So as I said, the buses started running again on Thursday.  I have 4 classes on Thursday that I taught and then Friday is my day off so I only worked 4 hours that week! 

Friday I headed to my friend Stefanie’s apartment in Montmorillon and was planning to stay until Sunday.  But then in snowed…this time maybe 4” of snow or so.  At 6PM it was announced that the school buses weren’t running for the following day so I stayed over on Sunday night too and headed back on Monday.

Now, 4” of snow really isn’t much at all but in Bellac, it is.  This time the buses didn’t start running until Friday.  And what do you know, I am off on Friday so I didn’t work at all last week!  The main reason that the buses didn’t run is because although the streets in Bellac are clear, students from the countryside come to my school.  Apparently the roads in the countryside are very dangerous because they don’t get plowed until the important roads get done (and we are near some small mountains).  And then by that time, after the snow has been sitting there for a few days and melted from the sun only to re-freeze at night, the roads become an icy, slippery mess.  Thus, no buses.  And the best part of all this is that I GOT PAID as if I worked the entire 2 weeks!   So I figured it out and the 4 hours that I worked the previous week ended up being 100€/hour if I average it.  Not too shabby if you ask me.

So, you may ask…well what do they do with the snow?  The answer you’ve all been waiting for: NOTHING.  They look at it and say “I can’t go out in that” and “Oh, it’s so pretty.”  They also have NO CLUE how to drive in the snow and only a small portion own snow tires.  In their benefit, they are not equipped to deal with the snow.  For example, I saw a tractor with a bucket driving down the road.  Not even a plow!  The following week I saw a tractor with a plow, at least they are getting somewhere.  But I am not complaining, I will take (another) 2 week paid vacation only 2 weeks before my next 2 week paid vacation. 

Now we are caught up until today…tomorrow it is supposed to snow.  It hasn’t yet but you know what, the buses are already cancelled for tomorrow.  Of course I have a class tomorrow at 8 I will have to get up for and check for students but oh well.  I was already told I don’t have to do my 2 hours at the middle school.  So I’m only working 1 hour (at the most) tomorrow! 

I will keep you updated as to the bus situation this week, it all depends on how much snow we get!

Lists.

Thing I Could Get Used To:

1.)    Doing my hair à la française…meaning-not doing my hair at all.  I rock the roll out of bed look on a daily basis. 

2.)    Eating nutella for breakfast and not feel unhealthy.  It’s kind of normal for the young people (I think). 

3.)    My Non-Existent Work Schedule- This has been my week so far…

Monday- Students had a half day because it was supposed to snow and I only have class in the afternoon.  Awesome, no classes for me.

Tuesday- Buses were cancelled the night before for the students so the only students that were here were the ones who lived in the boarding school.  There was also a grève (AKA strike) for the teachers.  Because the students weren’t coming to school, many of the teachers decided not to either.  MEANING- no classes for me.

Wednesday- I have one class in the morning and my students were no where to be found.  When I told the attendance office, they went looking for the students and told me they have a “BAC blanc” which would be similar to a Practice SAT (except more subjects and harder).  MEANING- no class for me

Thursday- I should have my 4 classes tomorrow

Friday- My Day Off

I will get paid for 12 hours even though I only worked 4.  Awesome.

4.)    Not having to leave a tip in a restaurant!

5.)    Eating an appératif (AKA pre-dinner drink and snack), a main course, cheese/bread, and especially DESSERT!  All of that, every day, at both lunch and dinner!

Things that I will NEVER get used to:

1.)    The ‘I don’t care/I am lazy mentality” meaning Delee waits in line at the post office or grocery store forever.

2.)    Having to ask 3 or 4 times to get something done.

3.)    The French Education System (learning should be fun and not taught straight from a book)

4.)    Being STARED at while I go running.  “What?  Why is she running outside?  That’s so weird!  I will just give her the stare down until she passes my house.  At that point I may even stop the car and still watch her.”  AWKWARD…and I don’t like it, all I can do is laugh though

5.)    Not having a car and having to rely on my feeties or the train for transportation.

6.)    Not having a gym/pool/exercise facility in my town

7.)    Missing my family and friends

8.)    Feeling weird when I wear bright colors

9.)    The unacceptableness of wearing sweatpants in public (not that I brought any with me).

10.) Walking to the grocery store, even worse, walking home from the grocery store with 2 heavy bags because I bought too much junk.

I think that’s all for now.