Some Pun-Based Title About 'School'...

I suppose I should say something more about the teaching side of my time here, seeing as how that is the premise as promised.

I managed to repeal my burn notice, which is to say that I got a straight answer about exactly where I'll be teaching (and even at what times!). I'm teaching at one elementary school in Grasse (where I'm living - the apartment is go! - but it's not the school they originally gave me). I've also been assigned to two elementary schools in Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey, a small town about 20 minutes inland (and upward, topographically speaking) by bus.

How often to people speak topographically, anyway?

Anyway, during my meeting with a local school administrator last Friday, I also got my teaching schedule, which works as follows (all classes with kids aged 6-10, variously):

MONDAY:
-7:30: Bus from Grasse to St-Vallier-de-Thiey
-8:30-11:15: 3 consecutive classes at one St-Vallier school
-11:15-1:30: 2-hour-and-fifteen-minute lunch break
-I'm not kidding.
-1:30-3:00: 2 consecutive classes at the other St-Vallier school
-4:30: Bus from St-Vallier to Grasse

TUESDAY:
-Identical to Monday, except my lunch break is three hours and I teach until 4:15

WEDNESDAY:
-No classes.

THURSDAY:
-1:30-4:15: 3 consecutive classes at school in Grasse

FRIDAY:
-8:30-11:15: 3 consecutive classes at school in Grasse
-I had to bargain pretty persuasively to get Friday afternoons off to travel.


So, after braving the slings and arrows of outrageous mis-communication, I successfully sorted this out. As the song goes, I fought the law and the law...

Well, our fight lasted until it was time for a two-hour lunch break, and then everyone was happy.

But it worked out. Given how spread-out Grasse is, the difficulty of reaching St-Vallier, and how many other little things have already gone awry, I am very happy with this schedule. I have also decided that the Official Mascot of Grasse is the mountain goat, given the town's frequent inclines, winding roads, and narrow sidewalks.

The other nice thing I found last weekend was that St-Vallier is way up in the mountains. I was a little peeved when I first found out that I was assigned even farther inland, but then I saw the place, courtesy of a driving tour from the woman running this wonderful B&B. It's up in the mountains! I love the mountains! As we drove back, it occurred to me that I'm within 30 minutes of both the beach and the mountains! Hemingway impression:

They were good mountains, and we were happy. We would have been overjoyed, only they were not great mountains, and as Gertrude observed, there were no bullfighters.

Last week, I also visited my elementary school that's actually in Grasse. Three things immediately set the tone for this place. One: the principal's office is more like a staff break room where all the staff gather. Two: the principal offered to take me around the classrooms and introduce me to the kids herself, in the middle of the day. Three: she explained right off the bat that, in this workplace, everybody refers to each other - not with the standard professional "vous" - but with the informal address, "tu."

It's hard to avoid a dull language lecture in explaining how open and laid-back that last one is.

But probably the most worthwhile thing for me in first seeing this school is that second item, the walk around to the classrooms themselves. Obviously, you can't ditch the formality entirely - kids all stand up and await the "at ease" when the principal shows up to class. The principal showed me each of the three classes where I'll come in and give my 45-minute lesson twice a week while the homeroom teacher basically hands out any materials (and does crowd control if need be).

I introduced myself - tried to be sunny and fun about it, you know - I said hello with a big smile, said was excited to work with them and learn some English together, and asked if they were excited to learn some English. (Some of the more fearless kids answered this pump-up question with "Yes!" instead of "Oui!" Precocious, adorable... same thing, really). Walking from the second classroom to the third, the principal told me that I was energetic and addressed the kids in ways normal teachers don't (and that the kids found fascinating), and that it was good that I was bringing that dynamic.

When she said that last part, I was so glad to be assigned there.

The principal and I did our shtick again in the final classroom. These were the 6- and 7-year-olds (my youngest kids):

PRINCIPAL: "Bonjour, tout le monde!" ["Hello, everyone!"]
STUDENTS: "Bonjour..."
PRINCIPAL: "Je vous présente Monsieur Andy Weiner. Il sera notre assistant d’anglais cette année." ["Allow me to introduce Mr. Andy Weiner. He's going to be our English assistant this year."]
ANDY: "Hello, everyone!"

Silence.

"We'll work on that."