Yeah, so I've been absent as I'd predicted, but it's been for good(and bad) reasons. One being I've been really taking the time to get used to New School, new kids and new curriculum. When I'm there, I feel like I'm constantly running up, down and across three floors with not enough time to do everything because I'm late or the class is late from recess or the kids are not getting something I thought they would(although only because I'm unfamiliar...they're English is incredible!) This being the first year and having now prepared classes for many different grades all at different levels, I'm not yet adjusted to what they know. Also, I'm trying to develop rituels with them of my own as well as use some(many) of the things they've learned over the past few years with the person I replaced. It's an adjustment for everyone, some of the kids still call me the other teacher's name(although some of them just were doing it because they thought it was HIlarious) and I have about 450 kids' names to memorize. Holy fa-reakin cow! That's just at NS, btw. At Old School, I believe I'll have about 100 more. The students at the Uni can just forget it, quite honestly. There'll probably be about 50 of them which adds up to a ridiculous total of 600 students. Kindly picture me punching myself in the face right about here. Although, thank goodness for etiquettes on their desks telling me their names, well minus my 7 maternelle classes, but whatev. You learn the bad, I mean, poorly behaved kids' names pretty fast.
I start at OS next week which I'm not too worried about because I can do what I want and a lot of what I did last year, I can reuse. I will just have to add on some more subjects because I started a few weeks later last year. Also, it was the first year that they started English in GS, so I ended up teaching the GS and CP classes the same vocab except the CPs had more words to learn as well as a few questions/answers. So, I will review with the CPs what they did the year before for a few weeks, but then I will have to do completely new things since they are the old GS kids and obviously they're not going to learn the same things over again...duh. But, I have the freedom to do what I want, it'll just be the issue of taking the time to prepare. Sunday is going to be my preparation day for all of my students. Well, every Sunday for NS and then every other Sunday for OS and Uni as I will plan out 2 weeks' worth of lessons for OS since I only see them once a week and then the Uni classes will all pretty much learn the same thing. I have what the person before me did with the Uni students, so that will help, but I think I'm the most nervous about teaching in front of them. I mean, I'm not used to teaching a group of students and they're franchement not gonna be that much younger than me. It's not like I can distract them by singing Old MacDonald and I somehow doubt we'll be playing Duck, Duck Goose. Oh well, maybe they'd go for London Bridge? It's a bit more sophisticated, IMHO. No, in all seriousness or something close to that, I will be scared about teaching them because I'm just not used to it and I can't predict how it will go. Also, I'm glad it's based on teaching them about CVs, interviews, etc in the anglophone world, but there will no doubt be some grammaire mixed in there which I do not personally enjoy or feel entirely capable of teaching. But, ca y ira. I'm glad, en tout cas, to have these two week breaks between everything starting up and then at the end of Oct, it's Toussaint, baby! Yes, I am already thinking about my vacances, can you really blame me?
Autrement, the vie has been se passe-ing bien. Repas, soirees, cremailleres, all sorts of fun stuff. Well, minus my current dilemma with my CDS. I don't want to delve into it toooo much, but let's just say things aren't going as planned and the original type of CDS I was supposed to get is not looking like it's gonna happen. Time was not on my side, unfortunately, and most of what's happening now couldn't have been prevented. However, I'm waiting to hear back and every day that gets closer to my CDS expiring, makes me want to gerbe. I will have to keep you posted because I really don't know what's going to happen and I'm not trying to be dramatic, but things could possibly go very awry. So, please croise your doigts and doigts de pied for me because I might soon find myself in lots and lots of merde. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but it's true!
Sinon, my new roomie moved in about 2 weeks ago now and things are going ok enough. I like her more than I thought I would, but she's just not gonna be my BFF or anything. I was hoping she would actually be around more to befriend Correcty(boy roomie), but such is not the case. Hopefully that changes soon because Correcty is still as lourd as ever. I also decided on top of being annoying, he's also not a very interesting person. Yes, I'm mean. No, he's not a bad person, but I just really miss my old roomies who may have gotten on my nerves with the boy's lack of doing dishes/cleaning and the girl's plan cul one room over, but we were good friends and had some pretty darn good times. Memoryyyy, all alone in the mooooonliiiiight, I can smile at the oooold days...ahem, no one else like a good "Cats" song? Ok, mes amis, I do believe it is time for me to be off...dinner and sleep are calling my name. But, as has now apparently become tradition(I say tradition because this is the second time I've done it...like how I say "usually" as long as something has happened twice), I will leave you with a list of some of the more "interesting" prenoms I've noticed at school and what I think of them. Many of them are the equivalent of say, Gertrude, Bea, Pearl, etc then there are the ones that sound like they should be preceded by "Count" and "Duchess" and, course, the ones that are a bit bizarre. Enjoy!
Capucine-reminds me of Capsicum aka the way to say bell pepper in Australian.
Gaspard-Gaston from Beauty&the Beast?
Marin-Aye, aye, sailor!
Bertille-Berthillon, the good ice cream place in Paris.
Hermine-Hermione
Ambroise-Haven't I been there before? Also, NB, this is a boy's name.
Louis-Alexandre-Wasn't he king or something?
Suzon-like Suzanne, but not
Aubert-Oh, Bert
Thelma-and Louise?
Salomon-umm?
Ombeline-this name is made up...take Ambre+Emeline and what do you get? Ombeline!
Theophile-Did you really have to add on the phile...Theo would have been just fine!
Philippine-Philippe, girl version
Auguste-does he know Napoleon?
Solange-My new computer's name...and also lots of mamies.
Hortense-Hortence...yikes.
Hippolyte-I don't even know what to say to this.
Foucauld-Last name as first name
Marceau-marteau
Prune-who names their children after fruit? Oh wait, forgot about Apple Paltrow...
Come-rhymes with home
Armand-Armani, Giorgio
Ethel-like Estelle, but new and improved with a lisp
Germain-German with an "i"
Flamine-Flamel, Nicolas from Harry Potter
Anzor-I don't know where they pulled this name out of...
Pia-rhymes with Leah and also, a fake name
Blanche-from the Golden Girls
Brune-what if she decides to go blonde?
Eugenie-Eugenia? Yeesh...poor kid!
Titouan-titeuf...those kids love that stuff
Dominitille-Domicile
Klervi-Claire vie
Louis-Rodolphe-A king and a reindeer all at the same time.
Astree-Ash tray
Sixtine-no, seventeen.
Anselme-similar to how a French person would pronounce handsome
5 commentaires:
Wow, talk about stress. Don't worry about college kids, everyone this week was super nice (minus two 40year old jerks who asked if I would be speaking with my accent the entire time. They apparently can only understand British English so refused to do any of the work)
I had a Maverik and an Axel last year. Hortense is pretty bad. But I should really not say anything, since I would totally love to name a son Charlemagne Napoleon.
Yeah, I think I just need to get my first classes with them over with and I'll feel a lot better. I also think the majority of them will be about 20ish, so hopefully I won't have to deal with any "grown ups." Those 40 yr olds can just get over your "accent."
I've got a few Axel and Axelles, but I find that pretty normal. Maverik's pretty bad though! Umm, please tell me you would call that poor child Charles or something like that!
I can't keep up with your schedule, to be honest, but I'm glad that things are going well overall (except for the CDS which I sympathize with and will not mention. Doigts croises).
A. Your schools super impress me with their amazing English skills and starting in GS... are you only at private schools? I need to get into that business.
B. I have all things that can be croised croised for you.
C. What kind of parents name their kids these things??!! Sixtine? Did they fail CE2? I mean, they can't even spell it right! I didn't have any "weird" names, but I did have one class with three Florians. All boys of course. Not sure why they wanted to give their little boy a girl's name.
PMF-Neither can I! I definitely do not have it memorized since the classes are all for different amounts of time and different times of the day for different number of times per week! Yikes! Thanks for the crossed doigts!!
ASL-a)They impress me too! New School even starts at PS which are the 2.5 and 3 yr olds. They barely speak French! And, yes, the schools are all private.
b)Haha, thanks!
c)Yeah, the rents are carazay. I think Sixtine might be because of the sixtine chapel? I have 2 Sixtines, actually. Considering like 99% of private schools here are Catholic schools, that would not surprise me. Florian or Floriane? Floriane is the girl version, I've got one of those. I like Florian but only because I had a kid named Florian who was adorable. And I like the cute ones more. Haha.
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