Running Rings around Rocky - lundi, 04.06.07

Lundi 04.06.07 Running Rings around Rocky

I feel as if I haven’t been in school for ages but I soon get into the swing of things pretty quickly. Madame Bois’ class merge with Madame Caruge’s brood this morning. Once again we’re working with hobbies and pastimes. We run through the verbs and list of activities together, and while Madame Caruge’s pupils finish the table Madame Bois’ students work on charades. We alternate between the blackboard and the spotlight

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Some of the kids are bound for Bollywood but none are as animated as Mr Duval. If some of his pupil’s don’t satisfactorily act out their activities he jumps up and puts as much vigour into his actions as if he really is getting into the role of Rocky at the cinema or struggling with a 200lb fish.

For the verb to do, and its conjugation with the first person singular to for I do I pick out a boy and a girl for a mock wedding scenario to explain the word which seal the deal. Madame Caruge lends me a gold ring and Mr Duval flashes a silver band.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, listen and tick and the Happy Days song entertain the younger kids between hardcore verb explanations. We eventually construct some coherent sentences which I use for another listen and touch game:

I play football.

I play piano.

I go cycling.

I go roller-skating.

I watch T.V.

I sing.

I dance.

For the next class I ask all my pupils to bring in images/cut-outs of their pastimes and passions. I also take the time to announce that I’ve only two weeks left in Chateauboeuf. Some of the older kids used to badger me to translate lyrics and phrases they’ve seen or heard so I tell them that my final week in school will afford them that opportunity and so they’re to bring in such things which they’d like deciphered. Shakira, Beyoncé, Ashanti, Akon, M.Pakora and Celine Dion are all shouted out in an instant but I wait with baited breathe to see what actually appears.

In town I spy the pervy old man approaching me from a side street. His ‘bonjour’ greeting booms in my ear and his face instantly lights up upon catching sight of a friendly female. I respond to his greeting but I quickly continue on my way to the cyber café before getting the boat.

I spend all evening doing my CM2 assessments. I don’t think anyone has ever ticked so many boxes in one sitting. I have to replace some of the topic options with those which I covered. It’s tedious and time-consuming but I get to reflect on each student’s progress while contemplating my own teacher triumphs and falterings.

Nic is out on the terrace topping up her tan while I’m slogging it out indoors with pens and paper. I hear her talking to someone and presume she’s on the phone but in fact she’s having a conversation with a young male neighbour across the way. His name is Benoit and he’s invited over for tea – its mint tea as we’ve run out of the regular brew. He’s 28, from France, speaks perfect English and is a doctor. He’s about a head shorter than Nic and he doesn’t drive so that strikes him off her list but numbers are exchanged with a view to doing another exchange in the future.

Bea, la serveuse, who works in Point du Bout wants to meet up for drinks to discuss her upcoming trip to Ireland. Nic goes but I’m on tick overtime. Plus my right hand is so numb that I probably couldn’t manage to lift a glass at this rate. It turns out that Bea is pregnant. She doesn’t want her baby to be born in France. Her boyfriend, according to Nicola, is not too enthused about having a baby. He also seems to be a bit of a player so it may only be Bea who’s having the baby anyway!