Work

I went to my Lycee yesterday morning at 10am. My time table is very nearly complete and it looks like I'll be working Tuesdays and Thursdays - pretty full days. At the moment I only have 8 timetabled hours, I expect that to change considering I'm being paid for 12! When I arrived the gate was closed so I pressed the buzzer but the lady wouldn't let me in! 'Vous etes une eleve' was all I got. 'Non, je ne suis pas une eleve, je suis l'assistante d'anglais!'. I got in eventually. I like sitting in the staff room talking to the English teachers. I think I've met all 12 of them now although it will take some time for me to remember all their names. It's surprising how the level of English varies between the teachers. Some of them are much much better than others. I sat in on 2 classes, introduced myself, answered questions. Like last week really. I left the school at about 12 to go and meet Rachel and Lucy at Le Vieux Port as Rachel had a viewing for a flat. I wasn't there in time so they left without me. I did my food shopping and then met up with them. We went around some of the shops, for a coffee, to an internet cafe. Later on we went to see a flat for Lucy up by the station. After that we headed back to Le Vieux Port to meet up with Mairead, John, Sarah, Sara and Liz. Then it was home time.

This morning I went back to my Lycee for 10am. I went into 4 classes today. The first teacher, I got the impression her English wasn't very good, she couldn't write the word 'Ludlow' on the board correctly even though I spelt it for her. Her lessons were also a bit boring. I stayed with her for 2 hours - 2 separate classes. In both classes I introduced myself and the students were allowed to ask me questions. In the first class I went round and helped them correct some of their mistakes in a test they'd just been handed back and in the second I sat and listened to the lesson on New Orleans. It wasn't a very interesting lesson for the students I don't think because they had to listen to the teacher read. Although I don't think this teacher is particularly good she seems nice enough. At lunch I went to the Artotheque, I'm still trying to figure out what this is. It's apparently rare for a Lycee to have one and it seems to display art... hmm. After lunch I went to 2 classes. I really like both the teachers. The first class, the time went really quickly, we were talking for the whole hour! They were very talkative and there was one girl, who I'd been forewarned about, she just talks and talks and talks! I didn't stay for the whole of the second class. Only until I'd introduced myself and they'd asked me questions. In several classes today the students were allowed to ask their questions in french. Particularly with the first teacher in the morning. She then translated my answers into french. What was the point of me speaking English?! Anyway. I spoke a bit of french with my last class and one of the first classes of the day. Simply because their English wasn't particularly good. I was at school until about 15h, I then came home, completely exhausted - I'm not quite sure why, and started to look for a text to use with some students next Tuesday. For one of the groups, I have to help them prepare their oral exam - they have to talk about their work experience, then I have to provide texts and do reading comprehension. Another class has to talk about a picture that they are given but I am going to be given the pictures by the teacher. Then I have a student who is going blind, he is repeating his final year, but just some subjects. He wants to keep up his English. I have him for one hour a week and am pretty free to do whatever I like. As for my other classes, I'm not yet sure what I'll have to do. I need to get a username and password sorted out for the computer so I can print. I have a key which opens the photocopying room as well as various others and I have a photocopying code. All I need to do it get the room number of the room that is especially for the language assistants. There's 3 of us. I haven't met the other 2 yet. They are Spanish and Italian. We share the classroom between us. Yes, so, I'm really loving working at the school. I'll be glad when I start properly next week.