My students

It is hard to believe but today was my last day of teaching- time truly has flown by!  My contract technically ends April 30^th but because the two weeks of Spring Vacation starts on the 23^rd I am finished for the year.  It was strange to lock my classroom door for a final time and actually hand in my school key but I am proud of the work that has been done in Salle J102.

'Salle' means classroom; J was the building; 102 the room number

I am very lucky in that my students this year were absolutely delightful.  They were willing to learn, participate, and truly tried to improve their English.  While the general atmosphere of the administrative/staff aspect of my lycée was not always ideal, it was most defintely made up for by the students!

I taught all three grades: seconde, première, and terminale:

-Seconde: The equivalent to the sophomore year, or 10^th grade, in the States.

-Première: The equivalent to the junior year, or 11^th grade, in the States.

-Terminale: The equivalent to the senior year, or 12^th grade, in the States.

As someone who had never seriously considered teaching as a profession I have to say I really enjoyed my time with each grade and group of students.  I’ve learned so much about communicating with people through teaching and I’m really grateful for that.  I taught all on my own, as opposed to with the main teacher like in some placements, and while at first it was a little intimidating I enjoyed the freedom to plan lessons and activities.  I’ve enjoyed being able to share my country and language, especially since they learn British English and more about the UK than the US.  I know in the beginning the students found my American accent a bit difficult, as they are used to British English, but you can only imagine how happy I was to hear them tell me that they understand American accents and phrases so much better after working with me.

A favorite lesson was when I taught about typical American high school life.  The students were so surprised by the schedule structure, the after-school activities, how accessible teachers are, Prom, the athletic fields/teams, school buses, graduation ceremonies, and so on!  They could not get enough of it and were surprised as to how realistic things like ‘High School Musical’ and ‘Glee’ really are.  (I did, of course, let them know that we do not randomly break out into song.)  I showed them pictures of my high school, graduation, Prom, sports teams, etc and they were so intrigued by it.  It made me realize how lucky Americans are, in that we generally have such a community-based high school experience.  In France, a high school is more similar to a university in the US.

Here are some major differences in French high school:
-Teachers do not have their own set room

-Not everyone is at the school the same time every day and schedules vary

-Teachers only have to be present for their class times and are hard to reach outside of class

-There are no sports fields on school grounds and while there are some “school” teams they are more similar to a club team in the US and not anything close to what we have in high school

-Students must greet the teacher and wait to be told they can sit down

-Teachers have a platform to stand on while teaching

-There is no systematic school email

-Very few to no after-school activities

-If a teacher is absent a substitute is not always guaranteed so teachers usually notify a class that it will be cancelled a week in advance if the teacher cannot be there

(And there are loads more but those are some of the most glaring differences)

During my last week of teaching students planned surprise goodbye parties to thank me for my time with them this year.  They brought in homemade chocolates, cakes, goodies, candies, and so much more- it was so thoughtful and kind!  The best part was when they told me I made this year really fun and taught them so many interesting things. While I have enjoyed working with them this year it is nice to know the feeling is mutual!

While my students expressed how much they have learned from me, I too learned so much from them.  This teaching experience has been one of the most challenging and worthwhile yet!

Word of the Post: étudiants -- students