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27 September 2006
My school
My school is where you want to teach. Nearly 95% success in BREVET (secondary school exam). Pupils are polite, they never swear. Parents are coming to the meetings, colleagues are very nice... I'm so damn lucky to be here.
I have this class... you wouldn't believe. It's a dream. I didn't know it existed. They are in the last class before entering High School (about 14-15 years old). They're 20 (very nice number). And they're incredible. They ask me for more work. They want to have an irregular verbs test. If I forget to ask them about their verbs, they remind me so. They are quiet, polite and good workers.
Plus, they understand everything. What can I say? I love them!!!
They think they know so much that they can be a bit annoying sometimes. On Monday I had to remind them that it's not because they've seen something once that it is completely understood. I know some of them have difficulties. The thing is that they're hidden by the excellent pupils (constituting the majority of the class). I didn't want to lose those pupils (it can be a danger in this kind of class where the excellent pupils give you a wrong impression about the class). I talked to 4 of them on Monday, asking if they were ok, asking if the class was going too fast for them. I had silence as an answer.
I thought I was wrong to ask them, I thought they were mad at me for pointing out their loneliness.
Then, today, one of them raised her hand all the time. I could see her whispering the sentences the others were doing. I tried to make her talk as much as I could. And she was good, even though she was talking with this shy tiny voice.
That's it. She's in it. She boarded the train.
I hope the other three will follow her.
15:54 Posted in Blog | Permalink | Comments (5) | Email this | Tags: pupils
24 September 2006
The wind that shakes the barley - a film by Ken Loach
The Wind that Shakes the Barley is a very moving film about the struggle against the British army in Ireland in 1920, followed by a Civil War in which brothers were torn apart.
The cast is excellent; the images honour the beauty of the Irish landscape; the music is deeply moving.
For those who spent some time studying Irish history, like I did, the film is of high interest. The references to socialism and Connolly are very interesting.
I still wish Connolly was pictured in a much deeper way in Irish (or anglo-saxon) cinema. James Connolly deserves to be known better. He's one of the best thinkers of Irish history. His speeches and writings had such a deep echo for socialists in the beginning of the 20th century.
The funny thing is that Connolly, although he was truly and deeply a socialist, lost his life in the Easter Rising, the symbol of the nationalist cause and struggle.
1900 - 1930 is one of the most fascinating periods of Irish history, one of struggles, hopes and defeats. Socialism never succeeded in becoming a political force, like Connolly had wanted. It died soon after being born. Nationalism remained the main issue for decades.
And the writings of Connolly were lost. His spirit was forgotten. May he be remembered one day.
James Connolly:
to learn more: http://www.marxists.org/archive/connolly/
http://irelandsown.net/jamesconnolly.htm
12:30 Posted in what the missteacher reads, listens to and watches | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this | Tags: James Connolly, Irish history, movie, The wind that shakes the barley, Ken Loach
17 September 2006
Wedding day
Yesterday was a special day. One of my friends got married. The first one. The first wedding I was invited to not as the daughter of Mr and Mrs X but as "me"!!!
I guess it was the first wedding of a long list to come.
It was all the more special that it was a bilingual wedding. French-American. What a nice association ! The groom was lovely (as well as his American friends!). I particularly like bilingual weddings. They are symbols of tolerance and unconditional love. They are the proof that we're living in a world without (almost) no borders. They are the proof that one can go beyond one's prejudices to discover the truth inside each of us.
I hope to be part of this symbol one day. Because weddings are not only made to party and feel good about yourself. They are also made to build up memories of love and bonding, memories to be remembered for generations, symbols to be looked at with deep respect and understanding.
20:16 Posted in missteacher's private life | Permalink | Comments (6) | Email this | Tags: wedding, wedding day, symbol, love
10 September 2006
I'm still alive
I've survived my first week of teaching in a secondary school (from 10 to 15 years old). It went fine, really fine for some classes. For two of them, I still have to struggle to obtain silence. But I'm working on that.
This is not a difficult school. I'm lucky to be there as a beginner (that's one of the rare advantages of being a substitute teacher). I will have time to think about my pedagogy, to test new methods and to feel more confident about myself as a teacher. This is precious.
I'm about to start the second week. I finished the first one exhausted with a week-end full of work !!! I'm still planning my lessons for next week... :-(
No more time to write. Talk to you soon.
13:13 Posted in Blog | Permalink | Comments (4) | Email this